False Haven
by yobloc20
Summary: With the Savannah group now in the hands of the military, will Zoey be able to live with her choice of letting them go? Or will her paranoia drive her to take action before it's possibly too late? And will Ellis and his group uncover the dark secret behind the so called 'perfect society' they have been brought into? Sequel to Strength in Numbers. Zellis and Frochelle.
1. A new way of life

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. The promised sequel is here! About time. I wanted to give more time to build up anticipation but I so badly wanted to start writing and I just ended up doing it anyway :P Well, I have it all planned out and ready to go. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I will enjoy writing it. By the way, to anyone who has just started reading, this is a sequel to my other story, Strength in Numbers. I advise reading that first before reading this. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters besides my OC's._

 **Chapter 1: A new way of life**

"Before we run over this bridge to the guys that have been dropping bombs on us, perhaps we should have a Plan B?"

"Well you're free to make yourself a new life right here in this room Nick."

"Okay, fine. Let's go."

Nick was always paranoid about the military. The whole time they had been in New Orleans, Nick had been contemplating whether handing themselves into the military was really such a good idea. But however, by the time he instigated it with his three friends, it was too late.

He would have nowhere to go if he didn't. The military were bombing the city to kingdom come; they had presumed that no one was still alive in it. The group of four were late, and by the look of things, they should count themselves lucky.

Bodies were everywhere. Jesus Christ, they were everywhere. So many people hadn't made it. But the military had also executed a lot of people as well.

Perfectly normal people.

The less they thought about it, the more comfortable they would be.

The group jumped back up onto their feet. This was it. Everything they had been fighting for. It was for this. On the other side of that bridge was safety. From all of this bullshit.

They wouldn't have to worry anymore. They would be safe and away from it all at last. All the fighting and violence they have been through, they would finally be able to sleep soundly knowing their lives weren't in immediate danger.

It was a concept they all couldn't wait to experience. It felt strange that this was normal only around a month ago. Now it was only a desperate wish.

Coach cracked his knuckles and stretched his back; a subtle pop sounding from the large man. The late evening sun was peering through the boarded safe house windows. The four survivors could faintly hear muffled voices outside the safe room door.

"Y'all ready to go?" Coach directed back at the three with a quick gaze, already knowing the answer. Three nods confirmed this assumption and the big man unlatched the door and burst through it, followed by the other three.

The muffled voices turned out to be chatter on a radio, which was currently sitting loosely in the hand of a bloody corpse which was sitting up against a military barricade. The two voices were talking about possible life forms on the west side of the bridge. Everyone knew what they were referencing to.

Not wanting to be the target of more bombing, Nick quickly grabbed the radio from the corpse and held it towards his mouth.

"Ummm hello?"

"Rescue 7! That's coming from the bridge!" One of the voices instantly called back.

"Bridge, identify yourself." The voice added.

"My name's Nick. There is four of us on the… on the west side of the bridge." Nick responded as he swept his hair back with his free hand.

"Bridge, are you immune?" The voice asked cautiously.

"We are _not_ infected." Nick replied quickly.

"Negative Bridge, are you _immune?_ Have you encountered the infected?" The voice asked again, more urgent this time.

"Yeah, you could say that." Nick answered in a more sarcastic tone.

"Rescue 7, are you equipped for carriers?" The voice asked, the way he said it was noticeably lower however.

"Affirmative, Papa Gator." The second voice chimed in.

"Bridge, we have pulled out of that sector. Your only remaining pick up is on the other end of the bridge. Our last chopper is leaving in ten minutes. You need to lower the span and get across the bridge. God be with you." The voice instructed carefully.

"Got it, give us a few minutes." Nick replied before dropping the radio carelessly onto the ground. He walked over to a panel on one of the steel girders and flicked a switch. The bridge slowly and noisily began to lower.

"You heard the man, let's go!" Nick called out as he waited for it to lower.

The bridge seemed to struggle to let down the platform that connected the gap. It squeaked loudly before dropping suddenly and emitting a huge bang which echoed loudly in their ears.

Unfortunately, they weren't the only things to hear it.

A loud shriek from further down the bridge alerted the four of the fight they had ahead of them. One last push to freedom. One more bloody fight and it was all over.

"Let's move!"

 **The ocean, many miles away**

Zoey let her fingers run carelessly through the water as the boat carved through another wave. She sat port side of the sailboat, mindlessly watching the water go by her.

Francis was steering, it wasn't a very difficult job but someone needed to do it. He found it more interesting than just sitting around and waiting. Louis was underneath, catching up on some sleep he missed out on earlier.

Zoey was happy they had left Rayford but after two days of horrid sailing, she was already sick of it. The sickening aroma of salt constantly surrounded her. She could hardly wait to get to the Keys and ride the apocalypse out there.

Bill was not going to die in vain. She had promised herself this. He sacrificed himself so they could be here; she was forever in his debt.

However, no matter how much she tried to think about redeeming Bills' death, her mind kept wandering onto another painful topic. Something that for the past few days had been killing her.

Ellis.

Zoey still wanted him back with her, but there was something else she couldn't understand. Of course, it made sense that to her that she missed him, but she couldn't understand why she still felt guilty about something, she couldn't exactly put her finger on why this was.

Ellis and his friends were probably all fine and safe, but Zoey couldn't stop getting the impression that they were in trouble. The military had given Zoey and her group a 'hard time', but they managed to escape. Would the same happen to their group? And if it did happen, would they be lucky enough to escape like her group was?

These questions drove the college student insane and worried her to death, but she urged herself not to get bogged down by them and to presume that they were all fine, but it kept on nagging her at the back of her mind.

Louis strolling over to her woke her up from her thoughts.

"Hey girl." He said softly with a smile.

"Hey Louis, sleep well?" Zoey returned with the same smile, glancing up at him momentarily before returning her gaze to the water.

"Well enough, the constant rocking of the boat doesn't help though." Louis explained as he wiped some sweat off his brow. "Any sign of, well, anything?" He added.

Zoey shook her head. "Nope. Just lots and lots of water." She exclaimed with a sigh.

"Shit. Do you think we're anywhere near the Keys yet?" Louis asked, he clearly hated sailing. Zoey wasn't such a fan of the water either to be honest.

"In a few light years, I think." Francis chimed in sarcastically from the cabin. Zoey gave a small chuckle and Louis just rolled his eyes.

Zoey wondered what it would be like at the Keys, would it be tropical and sunny? She honestly didn't know what they would be like and was curious enough about how it would be.

Well, whenever they actually got there that is.

Louis stood up again and offered to take over for Francis, who agreed and went underneath the boat, probably to catch up on sleep.

Zoey sighed and let her fingers dangle back in the water. It was a relaxing feeling for her, it soothed her mind marginally.

She needed to stop worrying about Ellis.

 **Back in New Orleans**

"C'mon people! We're nearly there!" Coach barked as he fired off some shells into incoming infected. The helicopter was in sight now, they were nearly there.

There was a break in the constant assault, this was their chance. The four broke away and made a dash for the chopper. Nick protected their six, dispatching the zombies which gave chase to them.

They climbed down the ladder of the overpass; the landing pad was adjacent to it. Coach clambered down first and reached the concrete ground, waiting for his three friends to follow in suit.

Rochelle came down next, she could hear the infected coming, and from the sound of it, there was a huge amount of them. Ellis came sliding down the ladder next, a weird griping noise was heard nearby.

Nick was the last to descend the ladder. When he reached the bottom, he found Rochelle tugging on his sleeve to start running again.

"We're almost there y'all! Just keep-

Coach didn't even get to finish his sentence. In a roar and a flash, something crashed into him and carried him away. A charger had smashed into the man and carried him away.

"Holy shit! Coach!" Rochelle cried out as she ran after him. Ellis and Nick quickly glanced at each other and began dealing with the incoming infected.

They heard gunshots and what sounded like barking before Rochelle emerged with Coach limping beside her, the reporter being used as support by the big man.

"We gotta go now!" Nick yelled as he chucked a bile bomb into the distance, buying them some time to get Coach to the helicopter.

They struggled up the steps and dragged Coach to the chopper. Ellis watched as a tank came barrelling down the overpass and leaped off of it, landing and crushing a bas that was parked underneath it.

"Guys, we gotta tank!" Ellis informed as he fired at the beast. Nick glared back at it and hurried the tempo.

"Come on Coach, we're nearly there." The conman urged as he began to push Coach onward.

The door was already dropped for them when they reached the chopper. All four survivors boarded the vehicle and the door was quickly lifted back up. They felt the helicopter rise off the ground and begin to ascend.

Ellis ran over to one of the small, circular windows and gazed down at the helicopter pad. The tank was watching the chopper rise slowly into the air; it stood where they had been only a few seconds ago, furiously smashing its huge fists into the concrete. And then they were flying.

The bridge exploded magnificently as they flew by, the span they were on was completely obliterated. Ellis would usually have been surprised by an explosion, but he was honestly too tired to even react. He just slumped back down against the wall of the helicopter.

They had made it. It was only now Ellis realized how out of breath he was. He doubled over against the wall and panted heavily. He gazed over at Coach who was currently trying to convince Rochelle that he would be alright and for her not to worry. Ellis didn't even notice that Nick was standing beside him.

"We made it kid. We did it." Nick remarked between deep breaths. He had a slight smirk on his face.

"Yeah, we did it Nick. We're safe now." Ellis responded with his usual grin.

Ellis relaxed back into the wall and collected himself. He didn't know where they were going but he knew wherever it was, it would be safe and away from the infected.

He gazed back over at Coach. The big man putting on a smile for Rochelle as she rested her head gently on his shoulder; but he had a pained expression hidden underneath that smile. Coach was clearly badly injured, but he tried to play it down. They would have to get him medically checked up on at wherever they were going.

They were finally going to be safe.

The windows were now covered by a fog; Ellis presumed they were flying through some low hanging clouds. Ellis sort of expected that when they got to the helicopter, they would be celebratory. But due to Coachs' quite serious injuries, they were all quiet.

Rochelle must have seen Ellis quickly glance at her because she gave him a smile.

"We are safe now, sweetie. We don't have to worry anymore." She said softly to him as Ellis returned to smile. He could tell Rochelle was very concerned about Coach, who now had his eyes closed. Whether he was genuinely sleeping or not was unknown.

"I know Ro. We get Coach patched up and everything is perfect." Ellis replied hopefully.

Even though they didn't know where they were going, they were happy to presume that it was going to be a lot better than it was out there. As soon as they get Coach some treatment for his injuries, everything would be fine.

They had nothing to worry about.

 _A/N: So that was Chapter 1! Hope you guys enjoyed it! Leave a review of what you think of the first chapter._

 _Until next time._


	2. Home sweet home

_Hey guys it Yobloc20 here. Thanks for the reviews on the first chapter! Glad you enjoyed it. Anyone, shall we get on with chapter 2? Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 2: No need to worry**

The group of four had been in the helicopter for nearly an hour before it began to eventually drop in altitude. Ellis noticed the descent and huddled back up to the circular window, desperately searching for solid ground.

They were slowly lowering into a compound of some sort. Two layers of chain link fences surrounded large dreary buildings. The place was desolate of any colour, the walls of the low buildings were a serious white which was speckled with dirt and God knows what else.

They were landing in a spacious tarmac yard, which was also barricaded. Two near broken basketball hoops sat on either side of the yard, they were obviously neglected.

The chopper landed smoothly and the vehicle gradually grew quiet. They heard movement in the helicopter cockpit as the four survivors rose to their feet; Nick had one hand on his weapon for cautions sake.

They heard the door slowly lower behind them and they all quickly turned to face it. The door finally dropped and they were met with four heavily armed guards pointing automatic rifles at them, there were two guards on each side of a gruff and muscular looking man. He was short and stocky, he had a pistol in his holster which was tied around his waist but he didn't look like he was going to use it.

"Drop your weapons and exit the helicopter!" The man ordered, he had a low and husky voice. Nick was the only one to not follow his orders as the other three quickly dropped their firearms.

Rochelle nudged Nick with her elbow and the conman sighed in defeat, he dropped his AK47 and proceeded with the others out of the chopper. Two guards grabbed the dropped weapons and carried them away.

The sky was grey and there was a fairly noticeable wind blowing across the open yard.

"Good. Now, please follow us in single file." The man ordered as he began walking towards the buildings. The man began to lead them across the yard, a guard in the middle of the four and the other guard at the back of the group.

They entered a building, glad to be inside from the cold wind. Rochelle felt uncomfortable just standing there; the man was talking to a woman in a hazmat suit while reading a clipboard. The man turned back to them, it looked like he had a constant frown on his face.

"Okay, I'm gonna need the girl to come this way, you guys go through that door on your right." He instructed as he checked his clipboard again.

"Wait, why does she have to go with you guys?!" Nick protested as Rochelle seemed to be a mixture of shocked and confused.

"Because sir, the women's shower is this way, the men's shower is through the door on your right." The man explained with a rough glare at Nick. The conman just muttered something under his breath and Rochelle was led away.

The three men were led through the door to the showers. They were brought into their own shower stall and were given five minutes of hot water each. Their clothes were brought off to be washed and examined to make sure there are no concealed weapons in the pockets.

It had been so long since any of them had taken a shower; the warm water felt heavenly. They had finally got the chance to scrub the dirt and dried blood off of their skin.

Towels were waiting for them when they got out of the shower. They quickly dried themselves off with the towel but then they were forced to wait for their clothes to be dried. It was an awkward experience for the men, to say the least. They had to wait for their clothes to return in nothing but a towel. None of the men said anything and none of them dared to look at the other.

Their clothes eventually came back and they were relieved to see them actually clean. Nick was especially happy to see his suit returned to its natural white.

They were led into another room; Rochelle was already in there waiting for them. The room was windowless and bleak. A wide table sat in the middle of the room with one chair on one side and four on the other.

They were instructed to take a seat and wait. A guard remained with them in the corner of the room. He had a rifle in his hands and he didn't look like he was going to talk.

"Hey buddy! What are we waiting for?" Nick tried to ask but the soldier blanked him.

The conman scowled and turned back around in his seat. The group waited in silence for whatever or whoever they were actually waiting for.

Ellis scanned the room curiously. There wasn't really much to take in. The light that shone on the table was a shade too bright and Ellis had to squint whenever he looked at the ceiling. The room reminded the mechanic of an interrogation chamber you would see in the movies.

The door behind them opened suddenly, a different man walking in this time. He was taller but still slightly muscular. He had short greying hair and five o'clock shadow. He wore a large military camo jacket over cargo pants and work boots.

He took his time strolling casually around the table and taking a seat. Rochelle spotted Nick glaring daggers at the guy, something she wished he wouldn't do.

He eventually got comfortable in his seat on the other side of the table and sighed.

"So, you are the new guys, huh?" He said with a smile, his voice was friendly and professional.

"Um yeah, I guess we are." Coach replied hesitantly.

"You know, we haven't found many people for a while. We thought that we wouldn't be receiving any more people." He explained as he felt his stubble.

"Is that bad or something?" Nick asked, Ellis could tell he was hiding a smirk.

"No, not at all. We're glad to take anyone into our community." Nick sneered slightly at the statement. "So, how long were you guys out there for?" He asked.

"Around two weeks. Wasn't so bad." Rochelle answered. There was a weird sense of awkwardness around the room.

"Oh is that so? God, that must've been pretty bad. You guys must be able to hold your own I guess." He commented with that same smile.

"Yeah I guess we can." Ellis responded. What was this guy getting at?

"Well, I'd like to welcome you to our community. My name is Captain James Bennett. I am in charge of the compound." He introduced himself. There was a small moment of silence which Coach took as a cue to introduce himself and his friends.

"Nice to meet you. My friends call me Coach; guess you can do the same." The big man stated.

"The guy in the suit is Nick, the girl is Rochelle and the kid is Ellis." Coach continued. Ellis and Rochelle gave Bennett a smile while Nick nodded his head as a salute.

"Well, nice to meet you Coach. I assure you guys; this place will become almost a home to you. If you have any problems, feel free to inform me or any of the guards or staff about it. This is your home after all." He commented, his words were kind and warm.

"Um actually, our friend Coach here is injured." Rochelle quickly added as Coach just shook his head and chuckled.

"I'll be alright. Just get someone to check up on me, no need for anything drastic." The big man tried to play down the situation as usual.

"Sure thing, someone will bring you right to our infirmary." Bennett assured and called over the guard, whispered something in his ear and the guard nodded and gestured for Coach to follow him. The big man gave Rochelle a smile and left with the man.

"See y'all later." He added as the door closed behind him.

Bennett looked at the three again and cracked his knuckles.

"I suppose you guys want dinner? You're just in time for it." Bennett questioned them, they didn't need to be asked twice. They couldn't remember the last time they ate a decent meal.

Bennett gestured for the three to follow him, they all got up to leave but Nick held out an arm, stopping Ellis before he could exit the room.

"What do ya think of him? Cause I'm getting a bad vibe off of him." Nick warned in a hushed tone, quickly glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was waiting on them.

"He's fine Nick. He seems nice." Ellis answered, a little bit annoyed at the conman for being so paranoid about everyone.

Nick just shook his head and muttered something under his breath before letting Ellis go.

Of course, the kid wouldn't understand. He easily trusted whoever the hell he bumped into with his life. He would have to see with Rochelle, who had more sense.

Nick took note of the clean narrow hallways. Many doors were on either side of the hallway. It was brightly lit up by the fluorescent lighting on the ceiling.

They came to large door and Bennett scanned a keycard over a panel and the door buzzed. Bennett pushed open the door, revealing a large canteen filled with a decent amount of people.

It had been a week since the group had left Rayford but they had seen one person since then. Virgil, the Cajun with a boat. But they hadn't seen so many people in a while.

The cafeteria was big enough, metal tables along with chairs of the same material. Ellis could count at least eight people in the cafeteria, subtracting the soldiers and staff.

"Well, get settled in nicely. You're dormitory is through the doors on the other side of the cafeteria. Lights out at nine o'clock. Talk to you guys later." Bennett stated and left through the big doors.

The three felt like everybody was watching them. They stood at the top of the small amounts of steps, just bewildered about what to do or where to go.

Nick led the other two on, he strolled over to the canteen and he grabbed a plate, Ellis and Rochelle following his actions.

The lady scooped some weird looking material and splashed it onto his plate. Nick gazed down at the food; it was some sort of stew from the looks of it.

Nick walked over to an empty table in the less populated side of the cafeteria. The people had successfully managed to disperse all around the dining area, Nick presumed that these people kept to themselves and he was happy to keep it that way.

Rochelle sat down beside him while Ellis sat opposite of them. The stew didn't taste marvellous, but it was hot and it was something to eat. The conman gazed at the other two and saw them digging in as well; they didn't seem to take much notice to the taste.

Nick swallowed another mouthful of the stew and glared around him. There was a wild looking old man two rows behind them; he was eating the same stuff they were. He was on his own. The messily kept beard and the dirty clothes told Nick to stay away.

Across the room was a group of three, a black haired woman who looked in her late thirties. She was accompanied by a young, red haired man and another guy with his back to Nick so he couldn't exactly see who it was.

In the corner opposite of him, was a group of four. There sat a tower of a man, who looked around in his forties. Nick couldn't exactly make out his facial features so well from where he was sitting. The guy sitting next to him was a dark skinned, muscular looking man. He was much smaller than the man beside him; he wore a stained white t-shirt under a heavy black jacket of some kind.

Sitting opposite of them was two people who were looking right back at the conman.

Nick held his steely gaze to show he wasn't intimidated by them. One of them was a guy; he had black hair and pale white skin. He wore a plaid checkered blue shirt with a white t-shirt underneath. He had what looked like a black eye.

The second person was a girl. She had mousey blonde hair to her shoulders. She wore a vest jacket with a grey sweater underneath. She returned a glare at Nick, her piercing eyes making him uncomfortable.

Nick returned to his meal, taking a few more mouthfuls of the warm stew.

This was some welcoming committee.

 **On the ocean**

Zoey was now steering the boat carelessly through the water. The job didn't require much attention; it was really just making sure the boat doesn't veer off in another direction and avoiding hitting a high wave head on. Francis was still asleep and Louis was eating something out of a can.

The college student could feel her feet cramping up from standing for so long. They had no idea how far off the Keys they were, but she presumed it couldn't be too far now.

Zoey had always kind of questioned the plan. What if the Keys were filled with infected? What would they do then? They had a lot banking on this plan working and know she was starting to worry about what would happen if it actually didn't.

Where would they go? Where _could_ they go? They had no backup plan, they had no Plan B.

It made Zoey concerned about the lack of planning put into their supposed rescue from the apocalypse. They were just sort of going on a wing and a prayer that there would be no zombies on the Keys.

They also had no idea what to do when they got there. Where would they go? Would they have a steady source of supplies? What if there were people on the island?

These are the things that made Zoey doubt the authenticity of this plan. Zoey groaned slightly and rubbed her forehead.

These were the times where you would really appreciate Bill. To ask him what to do and have faith in knowing that the war veteran would always come up with a plan, no matter how desperate or crazy it sounded.

These were the times where you would really appreciate Ellis.

To fall back into the security of his arms and stop caring about everything else. For him to gently tell you everything would be okay and you actually believing it. To bask in his warmth and his affection, knowing that he cared for you no matter what happened. To know that there was always someone to talk to and a person who would listen to your problems and you wouldn't feel guilty or dependant about it.

The boat rocked horribly when it colliding head on with the wave. Zoey cursed and steadied the boat, kicking herself for getting distracted. She would have to think about these things when they actually got to the Keys.

Whenever they got to the Keys.

 _A/N: So that is Chapter 2. Lots of new faces, I know. You'll get to know them more in the future though, I promise. Hope you enjoyed!_

 _Until next time._


	3. Regret or Guilt?

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. I'm going away for a week this coming week so I might not be able to update for that time… possibly. I'm not sure just yet. Ah I'm sure I'll figure something out :P Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 3: Regret or Guilt?**

"Something seems off about this place, Ro. It feels weird."

"You're being stupid, Nick. This place is fine."

"C'mon Ro, the other survivors, that Bennett guy, something is just off. I can feel it."

"You're just being a paranoid jackass. If I notice something myself, I'll let you know but for now, just relax Nick."

The conman sighed heavily and leaned back in his seat. Even Rochelle was being difficult. Why were his friends so gullible? Surely they knew better than to trust these guys.

Rochelle was far from impressed about Nick being wary of this place; but she also honestly couldn't say she was surprised either. For the whole time they were in New Orleans, Nick had been suggesting the military were trying to kill them.

To be completely honest, seeing the piles of bodies of innocent civilians had shocked the reporter, but she tried not to think about it. There had to be a reason behind the killings.

Rochelle noticed the other people were now beginning to leave the cafeteria, exiting through a door on the other side. They had been sitting in the canteen for a while now, long finished their dinner. Ellis had his head in his hands and had been quiet for some time; the poor guy was probably exhausted.

Rochelle was interrupted from her thoughts when a soldier came over to their table.

"You have to move along to your sleeping quarters now." He ordered in a dreary tone.

Rochelle nodded and the man walked away. Ellis and Nick rose quickly to their feet and the three sauntered across the canteen and out the door.

What they found was a long hallway with open doors on either side. Another soldier stood tall at the entrance.

"You the new guys?" He asked, Nick was wondering why he needed an automatic rifle in the sleeping quarters. They nodded in response.

"Two rooms at the end of the hallway. The girl and the suit are in the room on the left while the kid and the…" The soldier paused for a minute.

"Wasn't there meant to be four of you?" He asked again.

"Yeah but he's currently in the infirmary, lookin' after some injuries." Ellis explained.

"Alright, well he's sharing a room with you when he gets back. You're on the right."

The three nodded and strolled down the hallway. It was the same setup as was in the other hallway except the walls were a more relaxing tan colour and the lights were a lot dimmer.

The three avoided looking into the open doors as they could feel a lot of eyes on them. They reached the end of the hallway and Rochelle quickly turned to the mechanic.

"Sweetie, will you be alright to stay by yourself for tonight?" Rochelle questioned, feeling almost sorry for the young man that he had to be alone.

"I'll be fine Ro, don't worry about me." Ellis reassured with a grin before taking a step into his room.

"Good, we'll see you in the morning. Goodnight Ellis." Rochelle smiled at him.

"Night Ro."

Ellis quietly shut the door behind him. The room was pretty small and basic, two cots and a bedside table beside each one.

Ellis nestled down into the cot in the corner and took of his hat, placing it on the table before relaxing into the cot.

He was safe now. They were safe.

Now that he was alone and had nothing to worry about, his mind wandered, always stopping at one person Ellis couldn't stop thinking about.

It hurt him to think about her.

He had left Zoey and her friends almost a week ago now, but he still missed her so much. It drove Ellis crazy that he couldn't know if she was okay or in danger and he couldn't do anything about it.

He would anything to ensure she was safe. But he couldn't do that here. Ellis was annoyed at himself for leaving her, the most perfect girl in the world. How could he have left her when she wanted him to come with her?

Life was cruel and Ellis had to learn to get used to it.

Zoey was more than able to look out for herself, as well as her two friends. But Ellis couldn't help but feel a strange sense of guilt, that he abandoned her when she needed him.

Zoey asked him in the boxcar to never leave her and he promised. But he left her.

They had confessed to each other their feelings and he left her.

Ellis cared for this girl with his life but somehow he left her.

How could he have abandoned her like that?

Ellis rolled over in his small and sighed, regretting ever leaving Zoey. He wanted her back with him, as well Louis and Francis to be back with them too. They would all be safe and sound and together in the safety of this compound.

But that was ridiculous.

She was gone.

Ellis had abandoned her.

 _"_ _How could I leave her like that?"_

He remembered exactly what she had said to him, all that while ago.

 _"_ _Don't leave me Ellis, please don't leave me."_

Her soft, sweet voice rang in his head. He missed her voice, he missed her emerald eyes, and he missed her perfect laugh.

He missed her.

But it was no one's fault but his own. He left her at Rayford when she asked him to stay with her. The poor girl had to kill her own father; her state of mind was delicate at the time and she needed support. His support.

He should have stayed with her.

Ellis rolled over in his cot again and accepted that he wasn't getting much sleep tonight.

 **A few hours later, many miles away**

Zoey woke up to her head smacking against the wall. The rather strong rocking of the boat was easily throwing her body around in the bed.

She rubbed her eyes and slipped back into her sneakers, quickly tying the laces. She got to her feet and wobbled a little, the rocking making her unbalanced. The boat was swaying from side to side.

Zoey crept up from inside the boat, seeing Louis in the cabin, quietly freaking out over the size of some of the waves. Francis was beside him, sitting down and chuckling to himself.

Zoey gazed at the dark water. During the day, the water was so peaceful and tranquil and clear. But now that it was night, it was menacing and unfamiliar. She could only see the light of the boat reflecting off of the surface of the water but she couldn't see anything underneath it. The last thing Zoey wanted to happen was to fall in, so she sauntered hastily over to the cabin to join her friends.

They turned to her and greeted her with a quick smile before returning their gaze to the water in front of them again.

"Sleep well Zoey?" Louis asked as he gently turned the wheel.

"I slept fine, I guess." That was a complete lie. She had gotten a few dispersed minutes of rest.

"Good to hear. These waves are getting pretty crazy." Louis responded as Zoey could easily tell the slight panic he was trying to hide on his face.

"Yeah, I could feel them from underneath the boat. Do you want me to take over?" Zoey offered as she sat down on the other seat.

"Nah, it's my shift after his. Don't worry about it." Francis exclaimed as he cracked his knuckles.

Zoey relaxed into the seat and yawned, she was beginning to hate the ocean. There was nothing much to do on the few metres of space there was on this boat.

Zoey rooted through her back pack which was left slumped against the wall in the cabin and took out a chocolate bar she had stored in there. She tore off the wrapper and put it back in her bag.

The chocolate was a nice substitute to the spaghetti hoops and tinned fruit she pretty much lived off of nowadays. She took another bite and savoured the rich taste.

"I miss those guys back at the bridge." Francis suddenly uttered more to himself than to anyone else.

"Yeah, they were cool. I hope their okay." Louis agreed as he pulled on the wheel slightly.

"They were… They were good people." Zoey mumbled mindlessly.

This subject hurt her. It made her think of Ellis. She had tried to stop herself from thinking about him until they had all of this Florida Keys crap was sorted out.

"I miss Rochelle. She liked my vest." Francis commented in a dull voice.

Louis chuckled to himself and Zoey let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, you two were rather close, weren't ya?" Louis provoked as Zoey watched the scene unfold in amusement.

"Close? What are you talking about?! We were- we were friends is all." Francis desperately tried to kill the idea, but miserably failed. Zoey found it both weird and nice that Francis was actually romantic with someone.

"I think you two were a little bit more than 'friends', don't you think Francis?" Louis continued to rile up the biker.

"You don't know what you're saying! The only people that were romantic during that time were Zoey and the hillbilly!" Francis protested.

Zoey didn't know what hurt more. The actual mentioning of her relationship with Ellis, the fact Francis had just referred to him as a 'hillbilly', or the fact Zoey was going to have to talk about this.

"He was nice, Francis. _Ellis_ was a nice guy. A gentleman actually." Zoey tried to correct him without sounding too praising of the mechanic.

Zoey hated saying that about Ellis. The truth was, Ellis was so much more than a nice gentleman. But thinking about it made her miss him, so she desperately tried to kill the conversation.

She couldn't afford to think about him right now. Zoey needed to stay focused to the plan.

"Any idea if we are close to the Keys?" Zoey quickly blurted out, sounding a little _too_ quick.

"No idea, I can't imagine we're too far now though." Louis remarked as Francis got up to take over steering for a while.

"I hope you're right Louis." Zoey commented drearily as she gazed back into the water.

This boat was starting to drive her insane.

 **A few hours later, back at the compound**

Nick sat back in the canteen again, this time eating a strange looking porridge that was simply dubbed 'breakfast'. Everyone was in the canteen again, dispersed back into their sections of it. Nick found himself oddly okay with this.

Ellis was the last to arrive. He sat himself down beside Nick and dug into his porridge without a word.

"Sleep well kid?" Nick questioned as he pushed his empty bowl away from him.

"Well enough I guess." Ellis replied without looking at the conman.

Nick just hummed in response and sat back in his seat. There wasn't much noise in the cafeteria besides the sounds of the staff working in the kitchen and the low hum of chatter from the other people.

"How are y'all doing?"

Nick looked over his shoulder to see Coach standing with his hands on his hips, smirking at the three who didn't notice him approaching. Nick gave a small chuckle and pulled out the chair beside him, the big man sitting beside him.

"They fix you up then?" Ellis inquired as he inspected his hat with his calloused hands.

"Yeah, you could say that. They said I had a few broken ribs and they put me on some painkillers." Coach explained as he leaned back in his chair.

Nick noticed a guard walk over to the old man a few rows back from them.

"You want some breakfast." Rochelle offered as she gazed at the big man.

"No thanks, they fed me at the infirmary." Coach remarked.

"Oh well that is-

 _"_ _Get the hell off of me!"_

Rochelle was cut midsentence as a commotion broke out in the cafeteria. The old man with the beard was being subdued by several soldiers, but he wasn't going down without a serious fight. He tried to stab one of the guards with a fork.

"They're going to kill me! Help!"

The group of four watched in horror as he the man tried to fight his way out of the soldier's grip. He seemed genuinely desperate to escape their grasp.

He was dragged across the floor of the cafeteria and out the large doors.

"Someone help me! They're going to-

The metal doors shut close and left the canteen in silence. None of the four could decipher what just happened. All it did was make Nick more wary of this place and took note of what the man yelled.

 _"_ _They're going to kill me!"_

Nick had no idea what was going on in this place but he suddenly felt that he and his friends lives were in danger for some reason.

Maybe the guy was just crazy? He looked pretty crazy.

Nick returned to his seat and gestured for the other three to do the same.

 _"_ _I don't know what that was about, but there is something seriously off about this place."_

 _A/N: There's always that crazy guy that goes and ruins your morning. Isn't that always the case? Hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

 _Until next time._


	4. Foresight

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. So I'm back, sorry about that. Promise I won't do it again :P So let's pick up where we left off. It was so goddamn warm while I was writing this; it was rather torturous work… Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 4: Foresight**

The weather hadn't brightened up much from yesterday. In fact, the weather hadn't really changed much since yesterday. The chilly wind that roamed they yard when they arrived yesterday was still present.

This was the same tarmac yard they arrived in, the same yard the helicopter had landed in. This was their apparent 'exercise area', but Ellis found a lack of actual exercise equipment to use so he couldn't exactly figure out what they were supposed to do. In actual fact, there was precisely nothing in the yard, just Ellis and his friends as they stood together in the middle of the area.

In the slight gap between the two rows of high fences, both of which Ellis noted slightly jutted outwards at the top, stopping anything from climbing in from the outside fence and anything climbing out from the inside fence. This was a bit of overkill considering the nasty looking military-grade barbed wire that was hung on top of the fence also. In between the two rows of fences were armed guards, they patrolled the fence with suppressed firearms.

While there was a layer of trees all around the perimeter of the barricade, at the corner of the yard, the shrubbery met the fence, making it a blind spot for the guards as the infected could easily attack from the cover of the trees.

There were limited activities to do in the compound. There was a 'rec room' through another set of doors in the cafeteria, but all it involved was a deck of cards, a worn out chess board and many bookshelves which looked rather boring. The survivors found themselves sitting around a lot.

"So, what did you guys make of that crazy guy this morning?" Nick suddenly asked, hands in his pockets.

"He looked delusional. I imagine he was." Coach shrugged, staring off into the distance.

Nick was obviously just trying to find more reasons to convince them something was wrong with this place but they were having none of it.

"It's freezing out here, can we go inside?" Rochelle asked as she rubbed her exposed arms for warmth.

Coach nodded and made his way to back inside. The others followed closely behind him. All they could do all day was transfer from inside to outside, hoping to find something to keep them busy. The point was, the four were so used to always being in action, always being in the tips of their toes, ready for anything the infection could throw at them. Because if this and being locked up in a compound with no tasks or objective, their only expectation was to sit around all day and behave for the guards.

This was a rather drastic change in lifestyles compared to the usual expectation of staying alive at whatever cost. The truth was, they were bored out of their minds.

The four trudged back into the Rec room and were introduced with a few glares from around the room. They sat down at a table and relaxed again, nobody knowing what to say.

"Anyone up for a game of cards?" Nick suggested as he produced a pack of cards he had found on the other table.

Coach nodded and Nick served out the cards to the other three.

"Blackjack. I'm dealing. I presume you all know how to play." The conman instructed blankly as he got a chorus of nods.

Nick watched in amusement as he inspected each of their styles. The thing is, how you play cards often says a lot about the kind of person you are.

Nick watched closely as Ellis would often wildly ask for another card even if he already had a high number already. It was obvious that Ellis was a risk taker and didn't really care too much about the consequences of losing but rather the profits of winning. A happy-go-lucky kind of style. This was obvious in his personality and it was obvious in the way he played cards.

Rochelle was far more timid and sensible, always playing it safe. So pretty much the opposite of Ellis. She wouldn't be the one to take action but rather to follow by example as she did with Coach. She would never be the one to make a tough decision for the group. But her patience and sensibility would often pay off and her sensibility would get her the win.

Coach was somewhere in between the two personalities. He would often usually have a careful approach but eventually he would go crazy and go for another card when the situation screamed not to. He was bold but at the same time wise and Nick admired him for it.

Funny how much you can learn about a person by their style of playing cards.

Nick felt eyes glaring at the back of his head. He quickly turned his head and saw the same girl from the cafeteria last night, once again glaring at him with those same piercing eyes, the stare almost cut through him. She sat a few tables away with her three friends.

Nick had no idea why this girl was still glaring at him. He had got in staring competition with her last night in the canteen but he had forgotten about it.

Apparently she hadn't.

Nick turned back around to his friends who were waiting patiently for him to deal new cards for them. Nick needed answers from Bennett.

"Sorry guys, I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Play on without me." Nick absentmindedly excused himself as he rose from his seat and left, not waiting for a response.

Nick strolled through the doors and across the now mostly empty cafeteria before reaching the large doors he came in from yesterday. A soldier stood in front of it with an automatic shotgun.

"I need to talk to Bennett." Nick explained to the man as he stuffed his hands nonchalantly into his trouser pockets.

"What? Feeling homesick already?" The guard sneered at the conman. Nick just scowled and narrowed his stare at the man.

"No smartass, I want to talk to him. I have a few questions." Nick grumbled, not in the mood for this guy to be a pest towards him.

The guard chuckled to himself and turned around to the door, pulling a keycard from his back pocket and quickly scanning it over a panel. The door buzzed and the soldier opened the large door.

"Stay in my line of sight at all times." The guard instructed Nick as he quietly nodded in response.

The conman followed the soldier through the seemingly endless halls of the compound. Nick observed the staff that busily passed him through the halls, not even bothering to look up from their clipboards to see where they were going.

The guard stopped at a door at the end of a hallway and knocked on it, tapping his foot as he waited for someone to open the door. Nick heard rustling and shuffling on the other side of the door before the handle carefully slowly turned and the door opened, revealing Bennett gazing back at the two with a questionable stare.

"This guy wanted to have a word with you." The soldier gestured to Nick behind him.

"Alright, let him in."

Nick squeezed past the guard and stepped into the office. A military radio buzzed with static on the desk. The guard closed the door from the outside as Bennett strolled back around his desk, gesturing for Nick to sit down as he did himself. He switched the radio off and placed it into the top drawer of his desk.

"You have questions?"

Nick cleared his dry throat as he thought about how he would phrase what he wanted to ask. He needed information about the crazy guy this morning. He needed information about the girl that kept staring at him. What was going on outside the fence of the compound, how long were they going to be staying here?

"I'm going to take it you want to ask about the little 'incident' in the cafeteria this morning." Bennett presumed as he ran both hands through his receding, grey hair.

Nick nodded silently as he sat up in his chair.

"The guy that was involved is called Randall. Since he's arrived, he has been pulling stunts like that every once in a while. He's convinced everyone is out to get him." Bennett answered stoically. He sat right up in his seat, his shoulders slightly hunched.

"Where is he now?" Nick asked without even really thinking about it.

"He is in the infirmary right now, my assistant is reasoning with him. Seems to be the only guy he listens to." Bennett shrugged.

"You have an assistant? Is that the guy we met when we first got here yesterday?" Nick questioned, he wanted to extract as much information as possible as he didn't know how many more times he would actually be allowed to have these conversations with Bennett.

"No no no no. The man you met yesterday was Sergeant Austin. He is the guard commander, gives them orders, daily training, that sort of thing." It was as if Bennett knew exactly what Nick was about to ask next.

"Alright, I suppose that has cleared some things up. Thanks I guess." Nick exclaimed as he sat up.

"Hey, before you go, what's your name? I never got it." Bennett asked with a raised eyebrow.

Nick wasn't really sure why this guy wanted Nicks name, he contemplated giving a fake one but decided against it.

"Nick. My name is Nick."

"Alright Nick, don't worry about all that nonsense this morning. Randall will be back with your group soon." Bennett explained as Nick made way for the door.

Nick didn't care about this Randall guy or what happened to him. He was a complete stranger and honestly, a complete madman in his eyes.

The conman knew he had to be on his best behavior around Bennett. Nick feared if he was an ass to him, Bennett would slowly become less supportive of helping Nick with this kind of information. As much as he hated to admit it, Nick had to suck up to this guy for the time being.

Nick exited the room and closed the door behind him. The soldier that escorted him here was further down the hall, chatting to another guard. He hadn't notice Nick leave the office. A woman came from the other end of the office and walked over to the door that was opposite of Nick. It needed a code entry for entry. A sign next to the door read: _Authorized Personnel Only._

Nick leaned his back into the wall behind him as the woman began to put in the code into the panel.

 _4-6-1-7_

The light above the code panel briefly flashed green as she opened the door and entered. Why was there a code entry for this door?

"Hey, how long have you been standing out here for?!"

Nick was sprung back to reality. He hadn't noticed the guard who escorted him there had come back to him.

"I only got out there, calm down." Nick reasoned with the soldier who just grumbled something to himself.

The guard gestured for Nick to follow him again, he was bringing him back to the cafeteria. But something was still bothering Nick. Something that didn't bother him before his talk with Bennett.

 _"What are they hiding behind that door?"_

 **In the ocean**

 _"Holy shit. I can't believe it. We made it. We finally made it."_

The shore sat only a few meters away from the three of them, teasing them in a way. They edged closer and closer to the beach.

 _"We're here. We are actually here. We did it, holy shit, we did it."_

The bottom of the boat began to scrape against the sea floor. They had actually made it. The boat eventually crashed in against the beach, sinking into the soft sand.

 _"We did it Bill. We are here because of you. This is for you."_

Zoey was the first to jump off the boat and landed onto the soft, wet sand. It stuck to the bottom of her sneakers but she didn't care in the slightest. They had finally made it to the Florida Keys. Zoey was glad to be back on solid ground but even more delighted to be on the solid ground of the Florida Keys.

Francis and Louis joined her on land as they sauntered up behind her. Zoey turned around and crushed them both in a death-grip like hug. They both laughed and embraced the young woman back.

"We made it! Holy shit, I can't believe we actually made it!" Louis exclaimed as Zoey released them from the hug.

"We're finally here Louis. We're safe now." Zoey stated with a smile while Francis had walked back to the boat to pick up some things for their excursion of the island.

Louis was relieved to see Zoey happy again. She had been through so much, she deserved this far more than he or Francis ever did. Bill dying had really changed her, she had become very quiet and reserved, tending to keep more to herself.

Then the other group of four showed up and slowly but surely, the old Zoey began to reappear with their presence. Now she was finally going to be safe.

"Come on, let's get more inland. We need to find shelter quickly." Francis instructed as he he handed them both back packs filled as much as possible with food and other supplies, one already on his back. They were still leaving some things back at the boat as they couldn't bring everything with them.

They nodded in response as they quickly strolled back to the boat to get their weapons. Zoey hooked the katana around her back and placed the pistols back to their holsters, her trusty Hunting Rifle in her hands. She hopped back off the boat and rejoined her two friends again as left the boat on the beach and they pushed further inland into the island.

Francis cut down the tree branches with his machete, Louis and Zoey giving him sufficient space to swing the blade. It was humid but wet as they cut though the tree line, condensation on the leaves splashing onto Zoey as she brushed a branch aside.

"I hate bugs." Francis stated in his usual grumpy voice as he swatted away an insect that was buzzing around his face. Zoey gave a slight giggle at his struggle.

"Yes, we know Francis, you hate everything. You even hate the-

Louis didn't finish his sentence. He froze completely on the spot and raised a finger, gesturing for the other two to listen closely. Zoey instantly noticed the worry on his face. Something was quite clearly wrong.

 _"Oh God, what's wrong."_

They could hear in the not so far distance, a distinct familiar sound that echoed in their ears and produced fear and pain in their minds.

They could hear crying.


	5. Deception

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. What do you think of the story so far? Is there something I need to work on or I'm doing well on? Let me know! Feedback is always hugely appreciated, as you all know. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 5: Deception**

This _isn't happening Oh my god They can't be here No please no Not after all that we've been through Oh shit_

Zoeys mind was racing. She had heard the faint sobbing in the distance. This couldn't be happening. Not after everything they had been through to get here.

Not after everything _he_ had done to get them here.

But the cries _rang_ out again into the deathly silence, confirming their most feared thoughts.

The infected were here.

Zoey broke down to her knees, not caring anymore about not crying in front of the others. Their deepest and least believed fears were true.

 _It's not fair He died for nothing I'm sorry Bill What the hell are we going to do now_

Louis gently tried to bring Zoey to her feet, not exactly knowing what else to do. Zoey allowed herself to be lifted up, almost like a lifeless ragdoll. She buried her face into Louis' chest, who extended an arm around her back in an act of comfort. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? Where could they go now? Louis gazed over at Francis who was just staring off into space, also unsure about what to do next.

They had spent so much time and resources to get out here. Bill had given his _life_ so they would make it. When they actually made it and were barely on the island for a few minutes, they find out it was all for nothing.

The infected are here. They had to be here. They couldn't get away from them. It's all they ever wanted, to be away from the death and the violence. But that couldn't be.

"C'mon. Let's get back to the beach." Francis stated in a cold tone, his voice lacking any emotion.

"Come on Zoey, we need to go." Louis gently nudged Zoey who was still hiding her face against his chest. She looked up at him with glassy eyes and nodded gently. Zoey pushed away from Louis and followed Francis without a word, leaving the IT Technician behind. Louis sighed and began walking after them. He was now extremely worried for Zoey. She might feel she has nothing else to live for now the Keys was inhabited with the infected. He needed to keep a close eye on her over the next while.

Louis arrived back at the beach, the boat was still sitting there in the sand. Francis was leaning up against it, obviously deep in thought. Zoey was sitting on the boat with a blank expression on her face. A million things were racing through Louis' mind at the moment.

Louis had no idea what they were going to do now. They had put so much on this working out, they never really calculated infected being on the island. It was rather stupid of them to not even consider it, and it was something they were now sorely regretting. They had no backup plan, no Plan B. They had to figure this all out now they were on the island.

Francis cleared his throat audibly to get their attention. Louis gazed at the biker who was looking down at the soft sand, not exactly knowing what to say.

"We need to get off this island."

Francis was right, they couldn't stay here, there was no point in where could they go? They had no home, no familiar place to stay now that they had left the bridge back in Rayford. Louis sighed heavily again and gawked at the boat. Would it even have enough fuel to get them off of this island? Did they have enough food for another trip?

"Yeah man, we do. But where do we go?" Louis asked, hoping the biker would have an idea of where they could go. But Francis just shook his head solemnly, dismissing this hope. They were pretty much stuck on an island full of zombies. Louis gazed back over at Zoey, who was still silent. She wasn't even paying attention, she was off in a world of her own.

Suddenly, Zoey stood up and jumped down off the boat, Louis keeping a close eye on her as she pulled her Hunting Rifle into her hands.

"I'm gonna head further down the beach, see if I can find anything useful." Zoey stated with a lack of emotion on her voice. By the time Francis could even try and protest, she already had her back to them and was strolling away.

"Just leave her Francis, she needs some time to herself." Louis muttered as he watched the college student wander off down the beach and out of sight. Even though the IT Technician was still worried about Zoey, he knew that Zoey needed some time to think on her own.

Zoey strolled down the beach, no destination in mind. She just needed to get out of there. She needed to be by herself for a while so she could think about... Everything that had just happened.

Zoey desperately tried to fight away the tears but she couldn't. She couldn't go on like this. Bill had pretty died for nothing. He gave his life for a botched plan. The man who survived a war and rode out most of the apocalypse on a damaged knee. Bill deserved a hero's death. A peaceful death. But he was deprived of one to save them. Instead, Bill died like an animal.

A fucking animal.

The tears that streamed down Zoeys face felt foreign. She hated crying but she couldn't stop. She kept thinking of Bill.

Further down the beach, Zoey spotted a lone infected, stumbling along across the sand.

Zoey suddenly felt an anger in her rise. As if this one zombie was the reason for all of her problems, as if it had caused all of this pain and grief for her. A rage filled her very being, a rage she couldn't contain.

She unsheathed her katana and sprinted at the infected, who only noticed her until she was right behind it.

Zoey swing the blade with all the force in her body at the infected, catching it in the ribs. The blade became lodged in the zombie, stuck halfway through its chest. Zoey ripped the katana back out and jabbed at the zombie with her fist, knocking it backwards.

Before the infected could even turn around to face her again, Zoey had already stabbed it through the back. The infected fell to its knees, dead, the blade poking out of its belly. It keeled over in defeat.

She pulled the katana downwards, cutting its belly open. Its entrails spilled onto the soft sand, staining it a dark, menacing red.

Zoey pulled the blade back out, she wasn't finished yet.

She began hacking at the limp infected corpse, blood splattering onto her face. She released anger and rage with each swing, landing every hit devastatingly into the mangled body.

She came to a halt eventually, panting for air. Her face was speckled with blood, her clothes were covered in the same substance.

The anger was gone, instead it was replaced by complete deflation. What did this do to help her? She just mutilated a walking corpse which didn't solve anything.

Zoey felt an odd sense of pity for the infected man she had just dispatched in a fit of rage.

But she couldn't deny it helped her feel marginally better.

 **Back at the compound**

Nick returned to the Rec room after his little 'questioning' session with Bennett. From the door, he noticed Ellis was nowhere to be seen, Coach and Rochelle now sitting by themselves at the table. The conman sauntered back over to his two friends who welcomed him back with a smirk.

"You took your time." Rochelle commented with a chuckle while Coach couldn't help but grin at Nick.

"I was looking for a razor off one of the guards. I need to shave." Nick lied. He wasn't exactly sure why he didn't just tell them about his meeting with Bennett but he felt it would be best if he kept it to himself.

"Same here. I'm startin' to look like a madman or somethin'." Coach agreed as he felt the heavy layer of stubble that was on his face.

Nick gazed around the room and saw Ellis with his back to the three, in deep conversation with a person he didn't know.

"Who the hell is the kid talking to?" Nick questioned as he leaned back in his chair, eyes still on Ellis.

"An old friend I think? He said something like that." Rochelle shrugged as she picked dirt from underneath her fingernails.

"You- You don't suppose it's Keith, do you?" Nick laughed as he took a look at the guy Ellis was talking to.

 _"Please God, don't actually be Keith."_

"We're not sure. I don't think so. I hope not." Coach chuckled, voicing Nicks thoughts.

The same people Nick had seen last night with that guy, the man with the red hair and the middle aged looking woman were also in conversation with Ellis and his friend. Did he also know them? Nick quickly glanced over to where the staring girl and her friends usually would be sitting but they weren't there anymore, their table empty.

Nick heard Ellis and his 'new friends' laugh loudly over at their table. He exchanged a glance with Coach and Rochelle, who seemed equally amused.

 _"Goddammit, it's Keith, isn't it."_

Nick couldn't make out what the guy looked like, his back was fully turned to him. He never really thought about what Keith would look like, but now the conman couldn't deny that he was genuinely curious. Would he have loads of scars and wounds from all his crazy adventures with Ellis and their buddies? Nick could only imagine that this guy was a professional hospital patient.

The scraping of a chair brought Nick out of his daydreams, Ellis was coming back over to them, still slightly chuckling to himself. The mechanic sat himself down beside Nick and relaxed into the chair.

Ellis eventually noticed the questionable looks he was getting from his three friends.

"Why are y'all lookin' at me?"

"Who was that you were talking to Ellis?"

 _"Please don't be Keith, please don't be Keith."_

"Well, you're not gonna believe this!" Ellis started off with a wide grin.

 _"Oh shit, it's Keith."_

"It's on old buddy of mine! His name is Paul. He's Keiths brother."

Nick gave another look at Ellis who seemed oblivious as to why he was being stared at.

"Keith has a brother?" Rochelle asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Two actually. Unfortunately, Keith actually can't remember who Paul is because-

"Spare us the story, Overalls."

"Sorry. I forgot I already told y'all about that one." Ellis excused himself as he scratched the back of his neck. Of course Ellis would find one of his many buddies. Of fucking course.

"You know the two people with him too?" Coach asked as he propped his elbows up on the table. Ellis shook his head.

"Nah, they are with Paul. They are cool guys." Ellis remarked as he he gazed over at them. "The red haired guy is Thomas and the woman is called Liz."

"See? Not everyone is an asshole Nick." Rochelle nudged as the conman rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

Rochelle sighed as she gazed at Nick, his arms crossed and an expression on his face that said 'Don't talk to me'. The conman was trying to stir shit, he had been since they had got here.

But now he was distrustful of the people around him? The fellow survivors who were going through the same hell as them? Who also had no idea what was going on?

Nick could be such an asshole at times.

Thet heard the cafeteria door open behind them as two people from the earlier group of four re-entered the Rec room, the girl and one of the three men. This gave Nick a better look at them.

The first man was old enough, in his mid to late fourties. He towered over his friends and had a small beer belly poking out from his lumberjack style jacket. He had dusty brown hair that was slightly greying, with shaved sides and thin on top. He also sported a rather large moustache atop his lip. He had a nasty looking cut on the bridge of his nose.

However, when the girl started to walk over to him, Nick was caught off guard. She cleared her throat and crossed her arms defiantly, opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish. Whatever she was trying to say, she was struggling to do so.

She wore a green vest jacket over a grey sweater, the sleeves slightly rolled up. She wore dirty stone washed jeans and black Doc Martins. Her face had sharp features and she was much smaller and thinner than Nick. She was actually similar to Rochelle in size, perhaps a little bit taller.

Nick waited for her to say something, not really knowing what to do himself. The girl seemed to be pretty unsure about what she was going to say herself.

"We need to talk." She stated in an almost hushed tone.


	6. Killer instincts

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. Was up late the past couple of nights writing this one, I'm absolutely exhausted. But hey, there is nothing more I enjoy after a day of being an idiot than sitting down and typing up a story_ _J_ _Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 6: Killer Instincts**

Nick was rather puzzled at the girl; she looked at him questionably, expecting a reply. The conman had no idea who she was and didn't trust her in the slightest. But still she waited for him to respond.

"What do you want?" Nick asked as he crossed his arms defiantly.

"Would you just come with me? We need to talk." She repeated with an impatient look on her face.

"Do we? Because last I remembered, I don't know who you are." Nick said, not wanting to comply with the stranger.

The girl sighed and rubbed her forehead with her index finger and thumb as Nick gave a sly smirk, he could tell he was getting under her skin. He didn't know what she wanted and frankly, Nick didn't really care. Knowing the psychotic glares he had been getting from this girl, she was most likely leading him off to murder him.

"Listen, it's important and you might want to know, trust me." She reasoned with the conman as he leaned back in his chair and stretched.

Nick thought about for a second, weighing in his options. He let out a sigh when he realized this girl probably wasn't going to let up.

"Fine. Let's go." Nick finally agreed as she gestured for him to follow her. She led him through the cafeteria and back outside into the cold, empty yard, much to Nicks annoyance. The girl turned back to him after checking their surroundings for any other people.

"Okay, I know this seems weird right now-

"Oh yeah sweetheart, this is pretty fucking strange."

"Will you let me talk?!" She snapped, slightly surprising the conman. Nick shrugged and stayed quiet.

"Thank you." She continued. "Now, you saw the incident in the cafeteria this morning, right?" She asked with her arms crossed over her chest. Nick just sneered.

"The crazy guy who completely freaked out in the cafeteria this morning? Nah, I actually missed it." Nick replied sarcastically with a smirk. The woman just rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue.

"Listen, if you're just gonna be an asshole, then you can fuck off right now." She growled at him, Nick laughing lightly as he held his hands up in defense.

"Alright, alright, calm down sweetheart. I'm listening." Nick said as he put on a serious face, desperately trying to hide his grin. He loved screwing with people.

"Right, so that crazy guy this morning, I think his name is Ralph or something."

"Randall." Nick corrected quickly.

"Yeah but- Wait, how do you know his name? You've only been here a day." She inquired with a raised eyebrow. Nick cursed under his breath for slipping up in front of her. He knew she wasn't going to let it go.

"I was talking to Bennett earlier. He explained a few things to me." Nick admitted as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared at the ground.

"You were talking to Bennett? What did he tell you?" The girl asked as she took a small step forward.

"He told about Randall and how he was being talked to by his assistant, who apparently is the only guy who knows how to calm him down." Nick explained as he mentally kicked himself.

"His assistant? You mean Hawkins?" The girl asked, her brow furrowing at his name.

Nick shrugged. "I don't know. I've never met him." He retorted.

The girl drew a deep breath before continuing. "This guys name is Hawkins. He is a proper freak. The guy gives me the creeps." She said, shuddering slightly as she talked. Nick gave her a questionable look.

"How so?" The conman asked, suddenly showing curiosity.

"Trust me, if you met him, you would get it too. He just gives off a weird vibe. His dead eyes, his freaky smile. Everything really." The girl remarked as Nick grinned slightly. "Sounds like you're a little scared of this guy." He jabbed as she chuckled lightly to herself. "Yeah, ask anyone. He freaks everyone out."

"I'll take your word for it." Nick exclaimed as he gave a grin. The girl gave what looked like a smirk before shaking her head.

"We've gotten off topic! That Randall guy, he freaked out again this morning, as you know." She stated. "Yeah, Bennett says he always does." Nick backed up. The girl nipped her lip.

"Yeah but did you notice what he yelled when they dragged him out?" She questioned as Nick thought about it some more. "He was yelling about..." Nick paused for a brief moment.

"Shit. I can't remember." He admitted. "He kept on saying that they were going to kill him. He says that _every_ time it happens." She explained.

"And how many times does it happen?" Nick asked as he suddenly began to catch on about what she was talking about.

"About two, sometimes three times every week."

Nick saw the point she was trying to make. Something about that was wrong. _Really_ wrong. Crazy or not, whatever they were doing to the guy to calm him down, it certainly wasn't just a friendly chat. The woman must have noticed the moment of realization on his face.

"Now you're seeing what I'm trying to point out." She exclaimed as Nick nodded back in response.

 _"Christ."_ Was all the conman could say. The girl just nodded again.

"What do you plan to do?" Nick questioned as he looked back at her. "I don't know yet, that's why I need your help." She shrugged. Nick gave her a glance before looking back down at the ground.

"We need to work together to find out more about what they're doing, are you in?"

"Hell yeah." He replied.

She gave him a big grin before running a hand through her dirty blonde hair. "Okay, I'll talk to you more about it later. You're friends are probably wondering where you are." She stated as Nick gave her another gaze.

"What even is your name?" He asked as she walked away. She turned back to him and laughed.

"Probably would be a good idea to know what to call each other. I'm Beth. You?"

"Nick."

"Nice to meet you Nick. You should come over to me and my friends some time. We don't bite." She joked as she strolled back inside.

The conman couldn't help himself but smirk and come up with a million more questions to ask her.

 **Back at the Keys**

Louis had noticed the speckles of dried blood on Zoeys hands and face when she had returned from her search and it only served in making him more concerned for the girl. She had simply strolled back and sat down with them again, saying she had found nothing. Zoey probably ignored the strange looks she had gotten from the two men straight after her statement.

Francis had wandered off to find some stray pieces of wood for a fire, as they had decided to stay on the beach for the night, considering it too dangerous to move further inland. Louis gazed back over at Zoey, she was still gazing off into the horizon, the sun was gently setting against the ocean. A truly beautiful sight in such a horrible time. Her silhouette was against the setting sun.

He had to say something. He needed to. She needed to open her mind up to someone.

"I'm sorry Zoey. I'm sorry this didn't work out." It was all he could think of to say. Of course, it wasn't Louis' fault that there was infected here. But he couldn't help but apologise. Zoey gazed over at him with her miserable eyes, they used to be so bright and full of life. It killed him to see her like this again.

"Why are you apologising? You couldn't have done anything. No one could. It's just life now." Her response was an odd response to hear from Zoey. She was always filled with such realistic optimism, she had her own unique view which made her Zoey, but she had lost it when Bill sacrificed himself. She became reclusive and she hid her real self from them. When that group of four stayed with them, the real Zoey slowly came back.

Now Louis worried they had lost her again. Slowly, she was ebbing away back into her shell. Louis was lost for words.

"I'm sorry this is happening. You're the last person who deserves it."

Zoey didn't even look at Louis. She was still gazing off at the sunset. He wasn't sure that she was even listening anymore, she didn't look like it.

"No one deserved this Louis. No one in this apocalypse deserved what happened to them. We should count ourselves as lucky to be alive right now. We easily could be dead right now but we're not. We're lucky, Louis."

The statement had caught Louis off guard. She was right. They should be grateful to still be alive. But he still felt uneasy about her. There was something that made him feel anxious about her and her wellbeing. As if she was in immediate danger but she wasn't doing anything about it.

Francis returned with a bundle of firewood, tossing it onto the sand. Louis got to his feet and began sorting the wood into the already made fire pit. On a bed of leaves, the firewood caught ablaze with ease from Francis' lighter. The sky was beginning to fade into darkness, the orange glow of the sunset was rapidly losing territory to the peaceful purple of night. The campfire lit up the beach in a wondrous light.

"So, any ideas on where the hell we go now?" Francis brought up his earlier question again, much to Louis' dismay. They didn't need to think about this right now. His question was met with silence.

"Figures." Francis shrugged as he sat down beside the blazing ember. "Well I suggest we get off the Keys as soon as we can. I'm just suggesting." His idea was met with more stoic silence.

"At least I'm trying." He muttered as he he crossed his legs and lay down on the soft sand. Louis just shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He just wanted to forget about this for a minute.

More deafening silence.

"We're gonna track down and find Ellis and the others and save them, wherever they are." Zoey stated with a dead serious expression.


	7. Change of Course

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. Thank you for the reviews! You guys are the best. Story is coming along nicely I think, so let's get into it! Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 7** : **Change of Course**

Francis scoffed at the suggestion. Zoey furrowed her brow and glared at him, not understanding why he was so dismissive of the idea. What other things did they have going for them.

"Zoey, where do you even think we start looking for them?" Francis inquired, clearly unconvinced about the plan as a whole. It seemed unrealistic and farfetched to him. Louis didn't know what to think. She was still concerned about them?

"I'm sure wherever they are, they're doing fine." Louis tried to interject.

"That's the thing!" Zoey exclaimed as she jumped to her feet, surprising the two men. "They're with the military! They're carriers! What the fuck do you think is gonna happen to them?!"

Francis and Louis were shocked by her words. What happened at Millhaven was a nightmare. The last thing they wanted was for anyone else to experience what they did. But that didn't happen at every camp, just at the sick place they ended up at in Millhaven.

Or so they presumed.

"Zoey, we have no idea if that is even happening to them." Louis remarked as he straightened up his tie.

"And what if it is? Are we going to let them die?" She responded, hopping down off the boat and down to their level. Francis grumbled something under his breath as Louis looked down at his shoes. He felt a slight sense of guilt creep in but he knew they couldn't save them, even if they tried.

"Zoey, it's too much of a long shot. We have no idea if they're genuinely in trouble. They could be absolutely fine!" Louis insisted, hoping the college student would buy it. Francis nodded in agreement and jumped back onto the boat.

"What else are we going to do?! Stay here? We need to get off this island and help them!" Zoey pursued her idea, her mind was set. She needed to help them.

"You have no proof. I'm not hunting them down to find them having a picnic." Francis called out from inside the boat. Zoey groaned in frustration, her mind felt like a tornado was running right through it.

"I can't believe you guys are giving up on them this easy. We have no further business on this stupid island!" She remarked, clearly becoming more vexed as the argument stretched on.

"It isn't our job to look after them! We look out for ourselves, like Bill said. We did everything we could for them but now they're on their own." Francis objected as he re-emerged from beneath the boat with a box of cereal in his hand.

"What have we even got to lose? We have no other plan! We have nowhere else to go!" Zoey retorted. This was a battle she refused to give up on, and the other two knew it.

"Why? Why do you want to help these guys so goddamn much?!" Francis questioned with a furrowed brow.

"Because they were our only other friends on this planet right now, so _excuse_ me for becoming attached." She explained with a frustrated voice. Francis was just about to interject when she continued.

"Because if anything happens to them, I'll blame myself." Zoey replied solemnly.

The two men looked at her questionably, not understanding what she just said.

"What do you mean?" Louis asked in a soft tone. Zoey shrugged and sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"We let them run off to the military, knowing well what happens to captured carriers. You saw what they do at those camps first hand. Do you really want that happening to those guys? Our friends?" Zoeys words cut deep in their minds, slight guilt arising in the two.

Zoey turned to Francis. "What about Rochelle? She could be in trouble and you're sitting here doing nothing but basking in the fact that you could help her but you're not bothered."

Her words were cold but they were the ugly truth. They let these people go to the military, who tried to kill them for being carriers. They could've brought the group with them but they willingly let them go.

Francis was speechless. He just grunted and looked down at his shoes.

"That's right." Zoey said as she began to place more pieces of wood into the fire, leaving the two men quiet in thought. She sat back, watching the blaze slowly cover the darkening beach in an orange glow.

"We should find some fuel further into the island tomorrow." She uttered as she hopped back onto the boat to look for food. Francis and Louis both looked at each other and shrugged.

It looks like they would be leaving this island a hell of a lot sooner than any of them expected.

 **Back at the compound**

Nick strolled back to his friends after his little talk with Beth, seeing the other group of Ellis' friends had pulled over chairs and joined them.

Nick groaned slightly at the sight, he wished him and his friends to be left alone but instead, the kid had brought them all over for a chat. And from the laughter he was hearing, it sounded like it was going well.

The conman rubbed the bridge of his nose before arriving back at the table, everyone gave a quick glance over at him.

"There you are! Where do you keep disappearing off to?" Rochelle exclaimed with a grin as the suited man return to the table. Nick gave a nod and sat down beside Coach.

"I went for some fresh air." Nick muttered as he leaned back in his chair. Rochelle nodded and continued with her conversation with the others. Nick not being in anyway interested with talking, he turned away and gazed back over to where Beth was sitting.

She sat there with her three male friends. Nick was still very much in the dark about her. Why had she asked Nick to help her instead of her one of her friends? She sat beside the youngest looking man, with the blue plaid shirt and a nasty looking black eye. They didn't look like the worst kind of people. The conman considered Beths' earlier offer of joining them for a talk but wiped it away, knowing full well it would most likely be extremely awkward for Nick.

"What did the girl want?"

The sentence slightly startled Nick. He had completely forgotten that Coach was right beside him. He had also forgotten that Coach had seen him talking with Beth. Nick wracked his brain for an excuse, knowing that Coach would be less than impressed about Nick sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

"She thought I looked familiar." Nick shrugged, noticing that Coach had a slight grin on his face. He seemed to have bought the lie.

"Oh really? Did you get her number as well?" The big man joked with a chuckle. Nick just sneered and shook his head.

"Nah, but I could've. Easily." The conman stated. Coach raised an eyebrow at him while Nick gave a sly smirk. A brief moment of comfortable silence came over them as they listened in on the conversation beside them. Ellis was talking to his friend Paul, but in a hushed tone, a serious expression on his face. Nick found that rather odd but he ignored it.

"The canteen is now serving dinner!" A guard yelled from the door of the cafeteria. Everyone in the room rose to their feet and made their way to the canteen to get dinner. Ellis wasn't even that hungry but he wasn't going to turn down a meal. He joined the small line for the canteen which was gradually moving along. Rochelle glanced back at him from further up the line and smiled back at him, which he returned.

The dinner which was served to them by rather expressionless lunch ladies, it was the same as yesterdays dinner, which was stew. While it wasn't the best thing Ellis had ever eaten, it was so much better than scrounging on scraps like they did out in the infection ravaged wild. He took a seat beside Rochelle at the same table they were at yesterday, also with a bowl of stew.

Paul walked over to join them, sitting down beside on Ellis' other side, also with a bowl of stew. Ellis gave him a small grin before swallowing a spoonful of his dinner, the warm stew settling nice in his belly.

"So, how did you end up here Paul?" Ellis asked as he ate another spoonful.

"Well, I actually got out on one of 'em whirlybirds at the hotel back in Savannah. Waited for you and Keith as long as I could but we were forced into one and choppered out. Stopped in a few places on the way here, that's when I met Liz and Thomas. Good guys, normal people like you and me." Paul said as he gestured to his two friends a few tables over.

"Yeah, they're nice people. Man, I just wish I could've stuck with Keith." Ellis muttered as he hung his head.

"Don't worry about it man. I'm sure he's fine. Don't blame yourself." Paul commented as he patted the mechanic on the back.

"I sure hope so, man." Ellis mumbled as he ate another spoonful.

"So, how did _you_ find your way here?" Paul questioned as he propped his elbow up on the table, using it to support his head.

"Well, I've been one hell of a ride man." Ellis chuckled as Paul gave him an amused look.

"Really? Well shit, I'm listening." Paul stated as he he brushed back his brown hair.

"Started off when we saw those helicopters leaving us behind at the hotel. We traveled across Georgia and Louisiana to get to New Orleans, the last survivin' evacuation point in this region. We went through carnivals, swamps, storms, all kinds of shit man. Shit, we even stole Jimmy Gibbs stock car from the Liberty Mall." Ellis beamed.

"No way! Man, at least you had a bit of fun while you were out there." Paul grinned, making Ellis wonder did he even know about the hundreds of zombies that stood in their way that whole time.

"Yeah, we even came across this group of three. Great people, they saved our asses, gave us food and shelter. I owe them a lot, if we ever happen to run into them again." Ellis sighed, his tone slightly more deflated.

"Yeah? What happened to them?" Paul inquired as he sat up in his seat.

"They all sailed off to the Florida Keys, apparently it was safe out there. I just hope they made it man." Ellis uttered as he took off his cap and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm sure they are fine man. They were good people?"

"Yeah man. They had this girl with them, Zoey was her name. The most _beautiful_ girl I've ever seen. And that ain't no word a lie." Ellis stated as Paul let out a snicker.

"Really? Ellis, I thought you weren't the guy for long distance relationships." Paul joked as Ellis let out a small chuckle.

"Hey man, she was truly amazing, I'm not joking. Everything about her was just... Perfect. I never even got to say how I really felt about her." Ellis beamed, seemingly slipping off into his thoughts. Paul noticed that he was serious and just nodded his head in silence. Paul remembered Ellis when he was in high school. He was in a relationship with this girl and he was head over heels for her too. But she broke up with him to get with a member of the football team and Ellis was left heartbroken.

From that day on, Ellis seemed to have trust issues with women or something. The kid would always presume that he was never good enough for any girl and would become very worked up about little things. The psychological damage done by that girl must have been very hard on him.

Since then, Ellis never really talked to girls in any other way besides just being friends. Paul could hardly believe that in the middle of the apocalypse, Ellis would actually develop a crush on a girl again. He couldn't help himself but grin at the mysterious mind of Ellis. But as Ellis explained, the girl had also left him to escape to the Florida Keys, and Paul wondered did it have the same effect as the girl in high school did.

Paul felt nothing but pity and concern for the man beside him.

 **Back at the Keys**

Louis gazed down at Zoey, who was currently sleeping quietly on her side near the campfire. The sun had now set and the only light was the blaze that covered the whole beach in light. Francis sat a couple of feet away, brandishing his trusty shotgun. Louis put his gaze back on the college student, he knew she wouldn't give it up. Zoey was right about helping them, she only had good intentions in mind for good people. But what if they didn't need help? They could traverse the whole country to find them absolutely fine. Louis sighed and threw a stick onto the fire.

"Are we seriously about to track those guys down?" Francis asked after a long moment of silence.

"Looks like it. She does have a point." Louis said as he kept his gaze on the sleeping girl.

"I know, but what do we do when we find them? Take down a whole camp of soldiers? That's even if we find them." Francis protested as he aimed his shotgun into the sky, checking the sights.

"It's a risk we're gonna have to take." Louis replied with a smirk. Francis chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"I will admit, it would be nice to have Rochelle back with us. She was cool." Francis laughed dryly.

"She was cool? Is that all?" Louis joked with a sly grin.

"Alright, alright. She was pretty too."

Louis let out a small snicker, causing Francis to raise an eyebrow.

"What? You're just jealous!" He remarked and Louis held his hands up in defense.

"I'm not trying to screw with you man. It just sounds weird coming from the guy that hates everything." He responded as his laughter died down. Francis just mumbled something under his breath and looked down at the fire, and then at Zoey. Louis followed his gaze and also set it on the sleeping girl. There was a brief moment of silence as they both felt an odd sense of misery just looking at her. She had been through so much at such a young age.

"She really liked that Ellis guy, didn't she?" Francis said as he looked up at Louis again.

"Yeah. He was the only guy she had met in a while that was somewhere near her age." Louis agreed.

"You think uuuh, you think those two were...?" Francis didn't need to finish his sentence for the IT technician to understand.

"She liked him back? Yeah, I think so. They were really close, you know?" Louis answered as Francis nodded.

"You think that's why she wants to go after them?" Francis asked again. Louis never really thought of it that way.

"I doubt it. But it's probably a factor. I wouldn't think it's the whole reason though."

Francis just nodded and sighed.

"Let's hope they're still alive at least."

 **...**

Zoey eyes fluttered open slowly. She yawned and looked around her. She was in a dark room. She didn't know where she was. Zoey looked down, she was in a nice looking bed with a blue duvet.

 _"Hello?"_

Zoey sat up and climbed out of the bed and landed on her feet. She felt dizzy.

She walked forward, using the beige colored wall as support. Panic was beginning to set in.

 _"Louis? Francis?"_

She was met with nothing but deafening silence.

Zoey began to look around the room, it looked oddly familiar. There was a desk on the other side of the room, a lamp illuminated it. It seemed so far away.

She began to stumble across the room, as if she had forgotten to walk. Her legs felt so weak.

She nearly crashed into the desk. She drew a deep breath and recomposed herself.

 _"Get your shit together Zoey."_

She looked around on the cluttered desk. It was filled with papers and copies. Unfinished assignments. A letter from her college, stating her attendance needed to improve or else they would have no other choice but to revoke her scholarship.

 _"This is my room."_

She was home. There was a picture beside the desk. With shaky hands, she picked it up.

It was a small picture of herself and her parents sitting on the couch in the sitting room at Christmas. All smiling nicely at the camera. All happy.

Zoey dropped the picture to the ground, the glass shattering at her feet. She brought her hands up to her mouth, to try and quieten her sobs. She missed them so much.

 _"They're in a better place Zo, I wish I had that peace of mind."_

 _"What do you mean Ellis?"_

 _"At least you know that they're no longer in pain. I don't know what happened to my Ma. She could be alive or dead or needing my help or... even worse."_

Zoey was so shocked by that statement. He was right, he had to go through the mental torment every day, not knowing what fate had met his dear mother. She couldn't even begin to think about how awful that must be to live with. But yet Ellis was always an optimist. When everything looked grey he made it seem vibrant.

Zoey collapsed to the floor, her legs no longer having the strength to carry her. The broken glass cut her hands and legs, but she didn't even feel it. She felt the blood drip from her cuts, but no pain. She lay on the floor, in a slowly growing pool of her own blood, sobbing for her parents and surprisingly, for Ellis too.

Warm arms wrapped around her frame and pulled her in. She didn't even need to question who it was. She just buried her face into his shirt and sobbed.

"It's s'alright Zo. It's okay. Nothing is gonna hurt you anymore." Somehow, she didn't doubt that. She believed him.

"Ellis, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry about your mom." She sobbed as she stroked her hair gently.

"There's nothing you could've done Zo. There's nothing either of us could've done. Don't be sorry for me." He was always so considerate of others, Zoey began to wonder did he even care about himself.

His embrace was comforting as always. She could stay like this forever in his arms. She gazed up at him, his face seemed distorted, almost blurry, but she made out his face. His warm smile and his hypnotic eyes.

She slowly leaned in, beckoning for his lips. But she never met them. Instead she felt his grip on her slowly loosen.

"Ellis? Ellis!" She cried out, desperately reaching out for him, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry Zoey. I have to go." He uttered, becoming more distant.

"Ellis! Please don't leave me!" She nearly yelled, desperately reaching out for him.

"I'm sorry Zoey." She tried to grab his hand,but she never reached him. He was gone.

Tears fell down her face but she didn't even bother wipe them away. She was too fed up with being hurt at this point.

Zoey rolled up into a ball and closed her eyes, no longer caring about anything. She had lost everything she cared about. She had nothing to live for anymore.

Her eyes fluttered open again, the soft sound of waves crashing against the beach behind her. She rubbed her eyes, she was back on the beach. Louis was asleep on the sand a few feet away from her, Francis was sitting by the fire with his back to her.

Zoey lay back down on the sand, looking up at the stars in the black sky. Her eyes threatened to spill more tears. Now she was having nightmares about him.

She was going to find Ellis. No matter what.


	8. Worlds Apart

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. I've been busy doing my summer job the last few days so sorry about the delay. The story is coming along nicely (In my opinion). I was thinking about writing a funny oneshot about the 8 survivors alongside this story, but I don't know. I'll think about it more and update you on it later. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters except the OC's._

 **Chapter 8: Worlds Apart**

After their rather bland dinner, there really wasn't much else to do around the compound. Many of the survivors just found themselves waiting for their curfew. Mindlessly waiting to be directed back to their dormitory. Nick and Coach found themselves chatting with Thomas and Liz about the Green Flu and their pasts, Nick either lying about most of it or remaining silent.

They also discovered that Liz is a nurse, and has been for nearly ten years while Thomas has been a civil engineer for nearly three years. Both of them, along with Paul, have been traveling together under the military's wing. They had become a close -knit group, like their own little gang.

"We never really had to fight any zombies, thank god." Thomas explained as he ran a hand through his neat red hair.

"Yeah, we saw a few but the soldiers would always kill them. It sounds awful that you guys had to come all the way up here by yourselves. I'm sorry." Liz remarked as she gazed at Coach who just nodded.

"It was tough, ain't no denyin' that. But hell, we're here now, ain't we? No need to be sorry ma'am." Coach smiled, always the mannerly type of person. Nick just sighed and shook his head, nobody else but Coach seemed to notice and he glared at the conman, who looked away at the floor. Ellis and Rochelle sat a table away by themselves, invoking simple small talk with each other.

Ellis noticed the purple rings underneath her eyes, she was obviously fatigued. The two had run out of things to say to each other and now a comfortable silence had washed over them. Ellis wracked his brain for a kick starter, wanting to instill the news reporter in some more conversation.

Suddenly, he remembered a question. A question that had been asked to him some time ago. He turned to Rochelle and uttered it.

"Do you think the world will ever return to normal?"

He remembered Zoey asking him that very question back at the building they stayed in on their first night of being lost in Rayford. He was constantly found asking himself this whenever he had the time to think, and his answer always remained the same.

 _Of course it would._

He could predict what Nicks' response would be; a snide remark at either Ellis or humanity in general. The conman would obviously never think the question over but register it as another unintelligent Ellis exclamation and reply in harsh terms. He could also guess that Coachs' would be hopeful and positive, always looking upwards. But he couldn't exactly pinpoint how Rochelle would answer it. She was both an optimist and a pessimist, depending on the situation they were in.

I guess you could call her a realist.

The look on her face told him that she was thinking the question over, trying to find a response that was somewhere in between glass half full and glass half empty.

"Do I think the world will return to normal? No, not for me anyway. I've seen too much shit at this point, I wouldn't be able to live a normal life. Do I think that we will get used to this style of life until it becomes normal? Most likely." Her reply was logical and both encouraging and discouraging to Ellis at the same time. The mechanic nodded and laughed slightly.

"You're probably right, I just wish that some day I could go back home." Ellis muttered, gazing off across the room. Rochelle patted him on the back and offered him a comforting smile.

"Don't worry about it sweetie. I'm positive that you will get to go home one day. Just keep hope Ellis." Her response was an attempt to cheer him up, but he saw right through it. Still, Ellis wasn't going to put her down so he returned the smile and nodded.

"I hope you're right Ro." He wanted to mention the situation of his mother to her, it was still tearing him apart. The only person he ever told about it was Zoey, who had opened up about the fate of her parents. When he heard her story, he felt awful for her, but Ellis would take knowing his mother was dead and no longer in danger every time rather than not knowing what happened to her at all.

Zoey gave the exact response he wanted when he told her; he didn't even know it until it happened. She just embraced him, no words needed. She knew the pain he was going through. She understood and comforted him without question.

"Ellis? Are you okay?" Rochelle questioned, peering into his eyes with a look of concern evident on her face. Ellis gave her a fake grin and nodded. "Yeah I was just thinking of something." The mechanic mumbled as Rochelle wrapped an arm around his shoulder and kissed the top of his head.

"We're gonna be okay sweetie. Quit worrying." She urged him. Ellis sighed and nodded again.

"I know."

He didn't know though. Ellis hadn't the slightest clue what was going to happen to them. How long were they going to be in this compound? Would they ever be allowed to leave? He rubbed the bridge of his nose, these questions would haunt his conscience whenever he thought about them. He loved his friends and could never forgive himself if anything happened to them. Without realizing, Ellis had grown a very protective stance over his friends, often finding himself looking out for their safety above his own.

His mother always said that he was naive.

"Make your way to your dorm!" A guard yelled from the other side of the cafeteria, everyone rising to their feet and making their way to the sleeping quarters. Ellis wasn't exactly exhausted but he wasn't going to protest. He felt like a kid with a bedtime again.

Nick reached the end of the hallway, uttered goodnight to Ellis and Coach who were across the hall from them and joined Rochelle in their own small room. Nick heard the door lock behind him and he sighed. He was in for the night.

Rochelle offered him a small smile as he sat down on his cot, taking off his suit jacket and carefully folding it up beside his bed. He heard a snicker from the news reporter.

"You still take great care of that suit, don't you?" She laughed as she climbed into her bed. Nick shrugged but couldn't help but smile.

"Now that I got it washed, of course I'm gonna keep taking care of it. It's a 3000 dollar suit Ro." He stated. Rochelle exhaled a ragged breath and relaxed into her cot as Nick got under the covers of his own.

"I think there is something up with Ellis." Rochelle mumbled. Nick gazed over at her with a raised eyebrow.

"He has the mental capability of a 5 year old, I can't imagine that there _isn't_ something screwed up in that head of his." Nick commented, his words rather harsh on the mechanic.

"No Nick, as in something is bothering him. I can sort of sense it in him." She exclaimed, the look on her face told the conman she was serious.

"And... you want me to do what?"

"I want you to talk to him." Rochelle said simply. Nick shot her another questionable look.

"Seriously? Me? Listen Ro, I'm not exactly a people person." Nick reasoned, his hand slicking back his hair.

"But he would appreciate it coming from you." She stated. Nick had to stifle a laugh so he wouldn't get his ass kicked.

"What are you talking about?" He asked with a smirk.

"You always treat him like an ass, he would really appreciate if you showed him some concern for once." She explained, her tone had an edge of irritation on her voice.

"I don't treat him like an ass _all_ the time. Just if he's being an idiot." Nick remarked. Rochelle just scowled at him.

"Stop being an asshole." Nick opened his mouth to reply but decided against it. "Will you do it?" She asked again. The conman just sighed.

"Yeah, I'll do it tomorrow." He promised. The lights cut out, leaving the room in complete darkness.

"You better, I'm serious Nick." Rochelle warned. Nick chuckled lowly at her threat.

"I will! Christ, you don't trust me at all." He laughed dryly as Rochelle snorted. "Of course I trust you, it's that I know you hate being forced into things." She remarked. Nick just scoffed at her remark.

"Goodnight Nick." She called out before turning over into her cot.

"Goodnight Ro." He said in response. Nick was left in silence to think about what Rochelle had just said.

 **A few hours later**

The early morning sun softly poked over the canopy of the treeline, the rays of light radiated a heat which tickled Zoeys' face. Her eyes fluttered open, she got a few hours of dispersed sleep. She yawned and sat up, finding Louis eating from the box of cereal. He heard her yawn and turned to her, flashing her a smile.

"Morning Zoey." He chirped as she wiped the sand off of her clothes.

"Morning Louis, any problems?" Zoey asked in return, he shook his head. "Not really, there was a smoker about earlier in the trees but I took care of him." Zoey nodded and yawned again, getting to her feet. She felt somewhat dazed.

Louis held out the box of cereal, which she gratefully took. She sank her hand into the box and pulled a handful of 'bran flakes' back up, stuffing them into her mouth. It wouldn't be her favorite food but it was food nonetheless.

Zoey noticed that Francis wasn't around, Louis seemed to know what she was thinking.

"He was clever and took the bed in the boat." He remarked. Zoey had completely forgotten about that, an actual mattress would have been much preferable to a bed of sand.

"We should probably wake Francis up, get some things together for our search of the inland." Zoey suggested. Louis nodded and stared off into the treeline. The college student sat there, half expecting to be told why looking for the other group was a bad idea and how they shouldn't do it. She was already thinking up a response to it.

"Zoey, I have a question for you." Louis stated, still looking off into the treeline. The college student knew where this was going.

"Yeah, shoot." She replied quickly, crossing her arms defiantly.

Louis seemed to be struggling to say the words, he opened his mouth but said nothing and them then closed it again. Zoey shot him a glance.

"Is Ellis the reason why you want to look for these guys so bad?" Louis suddenly inquired, catching Zoey completely off guard. Now it was her turn to be unable to form a sentence. Zoey never really thought about it that way, but was that the reason? No, it couldn't be. She cared about them all and would blame herself if any of them were hurt.

But at the same time, Ellis was a particularly crude issue with her. She thought about him a lot and now, apparently, she was having nightmares about him. He never really left her mind. Was he the sole reason behind her desire to find the others again? She couldn't exactly tell right now, but if it was, she would feel rather selfish about it. Putting her happiness above her friends safety, a sense of guilt washed over her. It was obvious that Ellis was a major factor in her desire to find them but was he the only reason?

"I don't think so." Is the only sentence Zoey could manage to form. Louis nodded, apparently understanding, much to her relief. The IT technician sighed and rose to his feet, Zoey keeping her eye on him.

"I'm gonna wake Francis and then we'll go inland for supplies." He mumbled as he hopped onto the boat.

Zoey could only help but smile at the thought of leaving this horrid island soon.

 **An hour later**

Francis wiped the sweat off of his brow as he continued to hack down infected. The humid weather on the island made physical activity rather strenuous and easily tiring. They were quite lucky in cutting through a few houses with food in them but they still needed to find gas for the boat if they wanted to escape the island.

Zoey zoomed ahead of the other two men, making easy work of the zombies, eyes peeled for anything of use. Louis trailed slightly behind, obviously feeling the side effects of the unpleasantly warm weather.

The main street of the island looked like a warzone, much like the other streets they were previously on. And to think that this place was safe from the infection, how wrong they were on that one.

Zoey peered down the street, car wrecks and bodies. It was a familiar sight. But something caught her eye at the end of the avenue.

"I think I see a gas station down the road!" Zoey called out to her friends who had caught up with her, catching their breath. "Alright, let's go check it out." Francis muttered as he started marching on down the empty street, the other two following close behind him.

Sure enough, Zoey still retained a sharp set of eyes. The gas station was in bad condition but it was worth a search. Louis noticed 'TAKE ONLY WHAT YOU NEED' scrawled onto the wall of the station. "Perhaps we should have a look inside?" He suggested as he watched their backs. Francis registered that the gas pumps were empty and nodded, strolling over to the door that Zoey was unsuccessfully trying to pry open. Francis gently nudged her aside and shoulder charged the brittle door, it crashed off of its hinges and smashed onto the dusty gas station floor. The biker shot Zoey a smirk as she snorted and shrugged.

Several red gas cans were neatly lined up inside. Zoey instantly noticed the putrid scent from inside the store but didn't find any desire to learn what the stench was. The three didn't hesitate in taking as many cans as they could hold. From the looks of things, they were the only survivors nearby and they needed as much gas as they could find, so technically, they were sticking to the rules scribbled onto the wall outside.

"Okay, we need some more water, and then we can get ready to leave for later today." Louis beamed as he reloaded his Uzi. Zoey smiled brightly, determination filling her being. "Well let's go then!" She called out as she sauntered ahead, not wishing to waste more time. Francis mumbled something and followed her.

Louis couldn't help but smile at the fact Zoey herself was smiling. She was coming back to her own self.

Slowly but surely, he would see the real Zoey again.


	9. Breaking the Cycle

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. After actually reading back on my beta plan for Strength in Numbers, I realized that it actually went so differently to how the story actually went. It went in a completely different direction and it's so weird thinking about if I wrote it that way. I wonder would this story be all that different if I had gone with the Beta version? I don't know. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 9: Breaking the Cycle**

Nick observed Ellis over breakfast, trying to catch a glimpse of something being off about the kid, like Rochelle had speculated, but Nick couldn't sense anything. Maybe it was just him, but the kid seemed normal and cheerful. Maybe it was just Rochelle being a natural worrier and a caring person. The conman sighed, he had no clue how he was going to come at this as this wasn't something Nick was used to doing. But if he refused, Rochelle would most likely kick his ass so he decided to man up and get it out of the way.

His friend, Paul, was sitting beside him, ranting on about some story that Nick didn't want to hear. Paul, being Keiths' older brother, had Nick guessing that Keith was pretty much just a more accident-prone version of his brother. Hell, Paul acted very similarly to Ellis, but he looked a bit older and was perhaps marginally more goofy.

"Hey Paul, could you give Ellis and I a minute?" Nick asked as the two southerners gazed up at him. "Sure man." Paul said and wandered off back to Liz and Thomas. Ellis gave Nick a questionable look as he sat down beside him.

"What's up Nick?" Ellis asked him as he threw him a gaze. Nick sighed, trying to find a way to properly phrase this. He wasn't an experienced man in human emotion or comforting people.

"You feeling alright Ellis?" Nick asked, feeling unnaturally awkward about the situation. The young man shrugged in response. Nick sighed, having no idea where to go from here.

"Ellis, say something." Nick felt like he was forcing an explanation out of the mechanic. Ellis gazed up at him, an odd look in his eyes. Nick felt like heat rays were boring into him and looked away from his stare.

"There's just so much shit going on man, it's messing with my head."

Nick digested his words, picking through them to try and figure what the best response would be. Although it would have sounded selfish, Nick would've admitted that the situation was harder for him than it was for Ellis. He didn't want to become this kids shoulder to cry on. He liked his current relationship with him, joking around with each other. But no matter how many times Nick denied it, he was good friends with the kid.

"What's screwing with ya, kid?" Nick replied hastily, not knowing where to look, resulting in his eyes darting between Ellis and the floor.

The young man shrugged again. "Family. You guys. This place. Our safety." He paused momentarily as he stared back down at the ground.

"Zoey."

Nick was a little stunned by what Ellis was saying. The young man was bogged down by so many problems plaguing his mind, he could hardly understand how he could go on without breaking down. Nick, while he never really got close to many people, could understand how someone like the kid would easily be deflated. During the hectic lifestyle of their cross country 'tour' of Georgia and most of Louisiana, Ellis never really had the time to think about his family and friends, but know they were knuckled down at the compound, he had all the time in the world to actually realize all the people he left behind.

Nick understood that Ellis was only remembering all those people he missed now. But the conman was questioning how Ellis was being bugged by Zoey. She was now safely in the Florida Keys with her two friends. Nick just guessed that he was concerned about her.

"I know how you feel."

Nick had surprised himself with his own reply. It looked like Ellis felt the same way.

"You do?" Ellis inquired, not buying his remark.

"Yeah. I don't know the feeling but I know _what_ you're feeling." Nick explained. The mechanic nodded and shifted his gaze to across the room. The conman sighed as he leaned back in his seat, sensing the conversation.

He also couldn't help but notice the sly grin creep onto Ellis' face.

 **Back at the Keys**

Zoey ran as hard as she could. Her lungs demanded air but she couldn't stop now. She desperately tried to keep up with Francis and Louis, pushing branches out of the way, attempting to keep her eyes fixed on Louis' white shirt, which acted as a beacon in the sea of green and various other tropical colours in the treeline. The weight of the gas cans were greatly slowing her down, the noise of the chasing infected kept her from doubling over for air.

She sprinted back out onto the open beach, spinning around and drawing her dual pistols either side of her waist. Firing rapidly, no need to aim, the target was a large crowd of zombies giving endless chase to them. Zoey felt their eyes fix onto her, being the nearest target.

"Zoey! Push back!"

Among the various yelling she could hear behind her, that was the remark she picked out of the air. She didn't know who said it but she followed the orders, shuffling backward, never looking where she was walking. She just pulled the triggers of her firearms wildly, the infected closing in.

She heard the bullets whizz by her but she had faith that her comrades wouldn't hit her. The horde began to thin eventually, Zoey returning to her friends and a sense of security came over her like a blanket.

The last of the enemy toppled over onto the once clean sand, spilling an angry red onto the tranquil beach. The hectic noises that rang in Zoeys' ears suddenly came to an end, leaving an odd buzzing sensation in her ears.

She heard a collective sigh come from Francis, who was keeled over, regaining his lost breath. Zoey had completely forgot about it and suddenly felt light headed, losing her sense of composure, she slightly wobbled but came back to her senses soon after.

"We did it. Holy shit, we did it." Louis muttered between deep breaths. It was almost like his catchphrase at this point. He would always mutter it after an intense battle, and she couldn't lie when she said it made her feel slightly better.

"Damn right we did it. We kicked ass." Francis chuckled as he shot the IT technician a cheesy smirk. Zoey couldn't help but laugh dryly and shake her head, holstering her weapons and sauntering back to her friends. Louis offered her a smile which she returned. She dropped the gas cans and her backpack beside the boat.

Zoey couldn't help but keep smiling. They had got everything they needed, all they needed to do is to get off of the island and back to the mainland, where they would begin their search.

"Can we get ready to leave now?" Zoey questioned, fearing she might be coming off as too desperate. But in truth, all of them wanted to escape this island.

"Yeah, just let me double-check our supplies and we'll be good to go." Louis answered as he opened his backpack. Zoey nodded and disappeared behind the boat to gaze out at the ocean.

The sound of the waves crashing softly against the beach was soothing, closing her eyes and letting her surroundings bring her into a state of relaxation.

 _"We're going to find them all. I just know it."_

Zoey had no idea where she was going to start looking, but she knew they had to start somewhere. She could sense Francis wasn't completely convinced, his doubt about the plan stuck out like a sore thumb.

 _"They're all going to be fine. We're going to save them."_

Zoey didn't care what Francis thought about the plan, to be honest. They were going to save them, and when they did, they would formulate a new plan, like they always did.

 _"You'll have Ellis back."_

She pulled out the slip of paper from her back pocket, the only physical reminder of him she had. Zoey had nearly memorised the message at this point, but reading it over and over made her feel better. It brought her sporadic renewals of enthusiasm and hope.

She ran through the message, his neat cursive writing. She would always laugh at how he would call her an 'angel' and 'the girl of my dreams'. Ellis was charming, she couldn't deny it.

His kind words to her made her slightly blush, even though she had read over several times. He would talk about her being 'perfect' and the 'most beautiful girl he had ever seen'. All ridiculous praise for her, but she couldn't help but feel flattered. In the message, he promised that he would see her again. He mentioned it several times, as if it was guaranteed to happen.

Ellis never broke promises.

"What are you reading?" A voice rang out, making the college student jump slightly.

Zoey hastily shoved the slip of paper back into her back pocket, desperately trying to hide the blush on her face.

"Nothing."

"Really? Cause it looked like something."

Zoey glanced up at the biker, who had crept up beside her without even alerting her. She just scowled and returned her gaze at the ocean.

"You honestly think we're gonna find these guys?" Francis asked, his eyebrows raised in expectation of her answer.

"Yes. We _are_ going to find them." Zoey replied with a slight growl. She knew he was just skeptical but she couldn't help but feel agitated about his constant questioning of the idea. She couldn't help but feel as if he was up to something.

"Well, if you say so." Francis grumbled as he wiped some blood from his fingers onto his trousers. An idea suddenly sprang to Zoeys' mind. An idea that brought a smirk to her face, but she quickly suppressed it.

"I honestly thought you would be more enthusiastic about this, Francis. Saving the girl who likes you..." Zoey instantly noticed the biker spring to attention.

"What? Did you just say- What?" It was so odd to see Francis flustered like this, she couldn't help but giggle.

"Yeah, Rochelle liked you, dude. You didn't know?"She had him and she knew it.

"Goddamn it... Fine, let's start packing some shit into the boat. We'll be leaving soon." Francis muttered as he stomped off. Zoey couldn't help but grin.

Francis wasn't going to be a problem anymore.

 _A/N: Sorry if it's a bit short. Been busy and I wanted to update. They'll be longer in future, I promise._

 _Until next time._


	10. Small World

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. I actually got my girlfriend to beta read this for spelling checks and things this time. Let's hope her eagle eyes caught any errors. If there is any, blame her :P Joking, but on a serious note, if anyone has any questions about the story, either PM me or review and I will answer them. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all of the characters except for my OC's._

 **Chapter 10: Small World**

Ellis couldn't lie that he was slightly worried about what was going on. The gruff looks on the guards faces when they told all of the survivors to move into the cafeteria because Bennett had a news for them. Nick felt the same way, he could see it in his eyes. Rochelle seemed to also sense their angst and warned them not to try anything stupid. Coach would keep reassuring the mechanic that it was most likely good news and to quit worrying.

After a few minutes of waiting, a buzzing noise was heard and Bennett stomped through the big metal door, everyone's eyes landing on him. He was followed by a small man with round glasses and a balding head and the man who they first met when they arrived. They stood atop the staircase, overlooking the whole room. The previous chatter had died down, people now waiting for his message. Bennett scanned the room, his eagle eyes landing on everyone in the room before moving on.

"I know you're all wondering why I called on you." Bennett began, crossing his arms. "And to be honest, I don't know why I'm telling you either." The man shrugged. Ellis shot a questionable look back at Nick, who just nodded back at him.

"We've encountered a problem, you see. We have lost contact with mission control a few days ago. We're in the dark about what happened but we were expecting a supply drop yesterday, and it still hasn't come." Bennett explained. Ellis felt slight panic rise in him, but managed to suppress it and calm himself down.

"We're going to keep trying to regain contact with mission control but as for now, we need to make some compromises." Bennett exclaimed as he ran a hand through his greying hair.

"What kind of 'compromises'?" Thomas suddenly called out, glaring up at the man. Bennett had a rather shocked look on his face.

"We're going to have to cut the rations to save up on food." The small man with glasses beside Bennett replied, Nick presumed this man was Hawkins, his second in command.

"I know it's not ideal but we have to be smart or we'll starve." Bennett remarked, still glaring at Thomas. He cleared his throat and nodded at Sergeant Austin, his guard commander, who nodded back in return.

"Thank you for your time, people." Bennett ended as he turned around, a soldier buzzed the door for him and let the three back out, leaving everyone in the cafeteria to bask in what Bennett had just said. Nick felt an odd atmosphere land in the canteen, everyone was now whispering to each other, as if Bennett was still here.

"Well shit. That sounds bad." Rochelle muttered, Nick glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Tell me about it." He responded as he cracked his knuckles. A small but of sunshine spilled through the window and onto the floor. Odd for the sun to be out nowadays, it felt like it had disappeared, leaving behind grey dreary skies instead.

"Did you talk to Ellis?" Rochelle asked, seeming closer than the last time. Nick nodded and gazed over at the kid, who was mid conversation with Thomas and Coach. Rochelle just shot him a look instead of asking another question.

"He feels homesick and a bunch of other shit."

Rochelle seemed not too impressed by his answer. "What do you mean, 'a bunch of other shit'?" Her glare felt like it was cutting right through the conman.

"He's worried about us and our future, and Zoey still apparently." Nick grumbled. Rochelle's eyebrows raised instantly.

"Zoey? Seriously? Wow, that boy won't let a crush go." The news reporter laughed dryly as Nick spared her a smirk.

"I know. Just give him some space to think, don't smother him in questions. Let the kid figure his own problems out." Nick stated, Rochelle nodding in response. She was a tiny bit surprised about his reply, it was rather thoughtful for a dried up con artist.

"I thought you said you weren't a people person?" Rochelle chuckled as Nick shrugged, retaining his weak grin. "I don't know, it's just a suggestion." He mumbled as he sat up in his seat.

Rochelle just shook her head and laughed again.

 **Back at the Keys**

"Zoey! We gotta go!"

The college student shot a glare back at her two friends. "I'm coming!" She yelled back in response. She shoved slip of paper back into her back pocket and jogged over to her comrades. The two men were heaving the boat back out onto the water, which wasn't an easy process.

Zoey joined back with them and began pushing the hull of the boat forward, using any strength she had left to move the vehicle back. Her feet landed in water, soaking her shoes. The boat began to float nonchalantly and the three let go, clambering onto it before collapsing onto the deck.

Francis jumped up to the cabin and got to work, the boat letting out a slight roar as a poof of black smoke sputtered out of the back pipe.

Louis let out a victorious yelp as Francis cheered from the cabin as he turned the vehicle around. Zoey couldn't help but flash a smile, happy to see her friends happy.

"We're gonna go along the Keys and then cut through the Gulf of Mexico! It'll take us right to Louisiana! We can start looking there!" Francis yelled from the cabin, Louis nodded and smiled at Zoey.

"We're gonna find these guys and then we'll think of what's next, okay?" Louis explained, the plan was music to her ears.

"Yeah, that's perfect with me." Zoey replied with a wide grin. They were going to do it, after so much doubt that they would go sling shrug. They were going to find them. She had always made herself believe that she would see Ellis again and now, they were on the right track to doing so, at long last.

Zoey hadn't the slightest idea where to start looking, but she figured they would find some sort of lead when they got there. As for now, she just had to endure another day or two of sailing. She wasn't enthusiastic about the water, either were Louis or Francis for that matter, but after they arrived back at the mainland, she wouldn't have to worry about the ocean for another while, at least.

Zoey was never really a fan of the Bills plan, to sail out to the Keys and wait out the apocalypse there. It felt like she was abandoning humanity for her own safety. The only reason she decided to stick with it was because Bill sacrificed himself. She felt obligated to completed his last wish.

The boat sliced through the gentle waves, the scorching sun beat down on top of them, resulting in Zoey squinting out at the sea. It was such a wonderful place, ruined by the infection, just like everywhere else. Zoey couldn't help but wonder was this pandemic worldwide or had it been quarantined into North America. She hadn't heard much about the Green Flu before it struck, resulting in a lack of knowledge about the rerst of the world. She hoped someplace was safe from all of this, that not everywhere, humanity was at threat to extinction.

Zoey had heard a few things about the Green Flu on the TV but nothing that alerted her of something this ferocious. She had heard reports of the reanimation of corpses but she just laughed, thinking the media was simply blowing it out of proportion.

How wrong she had been. She was foolish to simply brush it off. It cost her a lot of people she cared about. She couldn't help but feel pure guilt.

But no, she couldn't blame herself for this. No one could have predicted something of this magnitude happening, something that has completely changed the history of the world. How was she supposed to foresee such an event?

She had to stop being so hard on herself.

But then again, she had caused a lot a hassle. She had been a bitch to Bill for looking out for them, she had sent Ellis and his friends to their possible deaths and now, she was putting her friends lives in danger to save them.

Zoey gripped the side of the boat until her knuckles turned white.

 **Back at the Compound**

"I don't trust that Bennett guy."

Nick threw Thomas a side wards glance, his attention perked at the fiery haired mans comment. Thomas obviously noticed the look as he returned a quick look back at the conman.

"How so?"

Thomas shrugged in response, glaring off at something at the other side of the room.

"Something about him, his body language, it's just... Off." Thomas attempted to explain. Nick stifled a sneer and brushed back his slick hair. Nick couldn't help but feel interested about what he meant by 'off'.

"I guess that's one way of looking at it." Nick shrugged, his eyes falling on his comrades minus Coach, who were at a different table playing cards with Liz and Paul. Where Coach was, Nick didn't know or was particularly worried about.

Nick, not feeling up to a game, had decided to sit by himself and think. Well, until Thomas decided to join him. The conman was about to send him away when he commented about Bennett.

Nick was grateful that he wasn't the only one that was suspicious about their so called 'leader'. Thomas could be useful to him, as long as the guy wasn't a total idiot. He didn't exactly look like one so Nick guessed he would have to do.

The conman gazed over at Ellis, who was currently laughing about God knows what. Nick could see it in his eyes, the kid was holding something back. He was putting on a fake smile.

Nick felt the unfamiliar feeling of pity for the young man. He still had his whole life in front of him. Ellis always meant well, as much as the situation desperately called for maturity.

Nick was honestly surprised at how the mechanic had survived this long. Without his knowledge on firearms, Ellis should long be dead, as awful as it sounds. His blatant innocence should have lead him to his death. Nick couldn't deny that the odd moments of optimism did help at certain points, but they mostly irritated the group as they were so inappropriate at the time.

Nick could see a sadness his in his eyes. They didn't have the same excited glisten than they usually did. His eyes told their own story. Nick would've guessed that his buddy Paul showing up would have actually made him even more jubilant, but he seemed to have made him die down.

Nick just sighed as he looked at his so called 'friends', his only real friends he's ever had. As much as he hated to admit it, he wouldn't be able to live without them.

Nick didn't realise that he was slowly finding himself more and more dependant on these guys.

He couldn't let them get hurt.

 _A/N: Sorry for the long wait, been on holidays and I've been enjoying the good weather, while it lasts. (And some anticipation doesn't hurt either, I guess.)_


	11. Diminishing Hope

_He guys, its Yobloc20 here. Not much to say really except sorry if I'm taking a while to update, I've kinda been busy the last few days with things. Sorry people.. I'll improve, I swear! :P Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve own all the characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 11: Diminishing Hope**

Zoey let out a deep sigh, more out of boredom than anything else. She had now firmly established that she despised boats and wanted nothing more to do with them after this voyage. She couldn't stand sitting around and doing nothing. She always had to be doing something. She always had to be busy to keep herself distracted. She had disassembled her pistols, cleaned them and then reassembled them again. This was a regular process for her, as she didn't want her gun jamming when she most needed it. Her father had showed her how the basics on firearms and she still kept his advice with her to this day.

Louis was steering the boat, he was finally seeming to get the hang of it, which was a major relief. Zoey had a small worry in the back of her mind that Louis would begin to panic and somehow crash the boat. But he was beginning to appear more relaxed now, so she could relax herself.

They had been sailing for nearly a day now, and there was still no sign of land. Francis had suggested that they sail up along the Keys and out into the Gulf of Mexico, where they would sail up into Louisiana and they would begin their search there. Zoey was trying to piece together some sort of plan for when they got there, but she honestly had no clue where to start looking. She just kept reassuring herself that she would figure it out when they got there.

"I hate the ocean." Francis grumbled from behind her. Zoey couldn't deny her similar hatred for the water either.

"I totally agree. The ocean sucks." Zoey sighed as she zipped up her jacket slightly, the chilly ocean wind making her shiver.

"Make that three of us." Louis added glumly from the cabin without looking back at them, too busy concentrating on not hitting head on into a big wave. Zoey honestly didn't know how she would've expected to spend the rest of her life out on an island in the middle of the ocean. She just wouldn't be able to do it. She would have preferred to have stayed on the mainland and continue fighting the infection that had claimed so many loved ones from her. She couldn't just run away from it. She needed to help others while she still could.

Zoey couldn't express how glad she was to be going back. And now she had a purpose that she would keep her determined: To find Ellis and his friends. She promised herself that she wouldn't stop looking until she found them, it was the least Zoey could do for them, after all they did for her.

She just hoped they were still alive.

So here she was, in her way back into the war zone she hoped to never return to, a goal in her mind and the intention to save her friends that she had let go only a week or so ago. Zoey despised her choice in letting them go, they could be already dead because of her. She sighed again and pushed these thoughts out of her mind, resetting her eternal ponytail.

Zoey was never a religious person. She had lost her belief in God long ago, but at that moment on the slow sailing boat, the young girl prayed to any sort of God, in any shape or form, to save Ellis and his friends from any danger they might be in.

She was going to find Ellis. She had to find Ellis. After that, Zoey didn't really give to much concern about. As long as she found _him,_ everything would be okay. Zoey could finally live with some peace of mind.

Hopefully, finding Ellis and his friends would put her restless mind at some sort of ease.

 **Back at the Compound**

After constantly beating his friends at cards, Nick found himself extremely bored and not knowing what to do with himself. He gazed back at the soldiers who stood in position by the doors, unmoved and with military weaponry in their hands. The conman sighed and leaned back in his chair, completely out of ways to occupy himself. He could hear Coach rant on about how hungry he was and how there needed to be a lunch time at the compound.

Nick shook his head and grinned to himself, but didn't bother listening in to the rest of his speech. The compound was incredibly limited on actual activities for the inhabitants, resulting in a lot of sitting around. As funny as it seems, even Nick could only play so many games of cards.

Nick didn't even notice the person sneaking up behind him.

"Hey."

Nick jumped up slightly in his seat, startled about the soft voice behind him. He gawked over his shoulder and saw the mousy blonde haired girl looking over at him, smirking slightly. He gave a questionable look back at her, wondering why she was here.

"How are ya doing, Beth?" Nick smiled falsely, a tad bit irritated about her sneaking up behind him.

"Ummm, I'm bored out of my fucking mind. Those three idiots are so stupid." Beth sneered, gesturing back to her three friends who Nick still had no idea who they were. The conman just snorted and shook his head again.

"They don't look like the brightest tools in the shed." Nick sneered, gazing back at the three very different men. Beth just shrugged and grinned.

"They're good guys, trust me. They saved my ass more than a few times." She explained, gazing back at her friends.

"Who even are they?" Nick questioned. He didn't even know these guys' names. He only knew what they looked like from a distance, the conman never saw them up close.

"Well the guy with the big moustache is Gus." Beth began, pointing at the large man who towered over the other two. Nick sneered at the sight of the him. "He's a trucker from Boston. If you listen to him talk you'd figure it out with his first word." Beth remarked.

Nick just smirked and gazed at the other two men. "The guy with the black eye is Peter. He's annoying but he has his uses too." Beth shrugged. He watched as Peter picked dirt from underneath his nails and wipe it on his navy plaid shirt. He seemed like nothing out of the ordinary, but then again, Nick never talked to him before. He could be a complete psycho for all he knew.

The conmans' gaze fell on the last person, a small dark skinned man in a stained grey t-shirt. "And that's Morris. He was a fireman before all this shit started." Beth explained. Despite being quite smaller in height compared to Gus and Peter, Morris was rather muscular and had a rough look about him.

Beth turned back to Nick and smiled.

"And those are my so-called 'friends'." She exclaimed. Nick nodded and gazed off into space, not knowing what else to say.

"Who are your friends over there?" Beth inquired, gesturing back to his teammates. Nick sighed and sat up in his seat.

"The big guy is Coach. The girl is Rochelle and the kid is Ellis." Nick informed her as she nodded, taking her time to study each of their faces. Beth gave a small grin and gazed back at Nick.

"Your friend Ellis is kinda cute." Beth chuckled awkwardly. Nick scoffed and shook his head, feeling strangely offended for some reason.

"Sorry sweetheart, he's gunning for someone else."

Beth gave a smirk as her eyes widened slightly. "He's trying to get with Rochelle?" She presumed far too quickly.

"No. God no. Jesus Christ no." Nick instantly shut down, nearly shuddering at the thought. "It was just some girl we met on the way to New Orleans." Nick corrected, the thought of his two friends together was an image Nick wanted to remove from his mind.

Beth nodded and looked down at the floor, a somewhat awkward silence falling over the two. Nick frowned and gazed at the afternoon sunshine spilling through the barred windows, illuminating stripy orange streaks across the linoleum floor of the Rec room.

Nick had nearly forgotten what warmth felt like. Since he had arrived here, he had always been rather cold. The compound had no heating system, meaning the nights were freezing, the light blankets of the cot offering little heat.

Nick began to feel a little bit imprisoned at the compound.

 _A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait for an update, I seem to have contracted a little bit of Writers Block. Do not worry, I am not going to abandon this story or anything, I will simply be taking a little longer than usual to release new chapters as I don't want to be giving you guys boring, uninspired crap, I want to give you the best I can offer so I hope you understand._

 _Don't forget to Rate and Review! I appreciate it a lot!_

 _Until next time_


	12. Long Road Ahead

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. I was actually really excited to write this chapter, I got loads of ideas and I'm really excited about this story again! So hopefully, I can progress with this and give you guys the best I can write :P Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 12: Long Road Ahead**

 _"This is bullshit! There has to be more! I'm fucking starving here!"_

 _"Sir, we have to stick with the regulations. If we give you more, we have to give someone else less."_

 _"I understand that, but this is inhumane!"_

Days seemed like minutes at this stage. Time flew by faster than we knew. Hunger set in. There just wasn't enough food for everyone. Some people took it worse than others. As hungry as Ellis was, he knew there was nothing he could do about that. Now, he stood back and watched the argument unfold before him, worried about how it would turn out.

"Sir, we're going to need you to sit down." A soldier ordered as he walked in on the scene, rifle in hands. He was smaller in height than Thomas but the firearm in his hands cancelled that out as any kind of an advantage. The taller man stared the guard down and sneered slightly, his eyes had a wild spark in them.

"To Hell I am!" Thomas yelled back, angered and starving, like the rest of us. However, most people weren't as vocal with their complaints as he was, and right now, he was causing a major scene in the cafeteria. Ellis spectated the situation as it deteriorated, and bottled rage began to boil over. Knowing fully well this wasn't going to end well for either person most likely.

"Sir, we are permitted to use force if you do not comply with our orders!" The soldier replied, his voice raised a few octaves. Thomas sneered and nodded at the mans' gun, challenging his nerve.

"You gonna shoot me?" He responded coldly, an almost daring look in his eyes. It was like he was egging on the guard. Ellis could only wince at his reply, not knowing what was probably going to happen next. The atmosphere in the cafeteria was poisonous. This was never going to end well.

"Cause if you're really going to shoot me, then go ahead and-

Thomas didn't get to finish his sentence. The butt of the rifle clocked him upright the face, sending him stumbling to the ground, holding his nose. Thomas cursed obscenities at the soldier, who laughed and jeered the fallen man. Blood was now gushing from his nose, all over his clothes and onto the floor. Ellis felt a little bit disgusted at the soldiers actions, but stood back nonetheless. The mechanic felt something brush off of his back. Gazing over his shoulder, he saw Rochelle, looking past him at the frey going on at the canteen. Ellis stook out a hand, holding her back from the front of the crowd. Ellis didn't know why, but he predicted that the situation would only escalate from here.

He guessed right when the soldier landed yet another strike onto Thomas' head. There was no reasoning behind the second hit, it was more for some sort of sick entertainment.

"Jesus Christ! No!" A cry rang out, and Liz burst out from the crowd, running to Thomas. But the soldier jumped in and shoved the body of his rifle into her, also sending her to the ground, halted her path. She hit the ground with a nasty thud, a sickening noise in his ears.

Anger ripped through Ellis' body like an electric current. The soldier scoffed at his two beaten targets, before muttering something into a his radio. He heard Rochelle gasp behind him. He had to do something. The mechanic lost all sense of control of himself, as if something else took control of him. His nostrils flared and his hands clamped into tight fists. Rochelle seemed to notice his fury and tried to grab his arm, but he pulled himself free.

The mechanic couldn't hold back his new found rage, charging wildly at the soldier. Something had set him off and now he wanted nothing but to beat the mans' face in. Ellis had never felt this level of anger and it honestly scared him. He tackled the soldier to the ground, landing heavy punches on the soldiers' masked face.

Ellis didn't know if it was just him, but everything seemed to slow down. Deafening silence was behind him, leaving the young man clueless as to what was happening and scared at what was going to happen. He knew that he was now in deep trouble, and felt a little bit regretful for his actions which he knew he was going to be in a lot of trouble.

He saw terrified eyes looking back at him. Ellis landed hit after hit, sparing this man no mercy. He didn't deserve mercy. His knuckles began to redden and sting, but he kept swinging at him. All the bottled frustration and pain was released onto this man, who was looking worse for wear after every hit.

The alarm started ringing.

Ellis could hear finally yelling behind him. Hands grabbed him, pulling him off of the soldier. Ellis tried his damndest to fight back, but there was so many people holding him down. He heard nothing but chaos; yelling and stomping around him.

Then, something hit him in the back of the head. His vision went blurry, the noise died down.

Ellis could have sworn he saw Nick fighting off a few guards, it would seem like something he would do. The mechanic just lay on the polished tile floor, the lights blinding him, everything seemed foggy.

The young man fought to remain conscience, but his eyelids proved too heavy to keep open and his mind became cloudy.

Ellis drifted off into nothingness.

 **Back in the Ocean**

Zoey desperately held onto the handlebar on the wall, the boats' volatile rocking throwing her from side to side.

Francis was struggling to keep the vessel in line with the humongous waves, pulling on the wheel hard. Louis was at the wall opposite of Zoey, his hands gripped onto something. Having been out on the sea for nearly five days now, the group had seen some pretty rough periods, but nothing as bad as this. The violent rain battered the windows, seeing outside was difficult, let alone standing.

Zoey did not like the ocean, even as a child she hated going to the beach. Now, as a young adult trying to survive a rampant infection, she hated the water more than ever.

The boat was being tossed around like a leaf in the wind. Zoey held on for her life as the boat rode over another wave, sending the boat jolting up in the air before landing nastily back down again.

"Shit, hold on!" Francis shouted back as the boat soared over another monstrous wave, jolting Zoey violently up in the air and back down again. She gazed over at Louis, who had his eyes closed, apparently whispering something to himself. He seemed just as frightened for his life as she was, giving Zoey no comfort at all. She looked back down at her feet and shut her eyes also, trying to think amidst this mayhem.

Zoey couldn't help but fear the worst. Would they make it to dry land? Could this boat be her coffin? She tried not to think about these things, but she couldn't help it. She was scared, none of them were experienced on the waters, let alone in a storm. Francis was used to driving choppers, not boats. How was he supposed to get them out of this one? Zoey shook her head and tried to compose herself, not wanting to panic right now.

The college student just tightened her grip on the handlebar and inhaled a few deep breaths, calming herself down. She was being stupid, it was only a few high waves. Nothing more than that.

The rain outside was treacherous. The choppy waves smashed against the boat and splashed up against the cabin. The grey sky outside showed no signs of letting up, much to their dread. They couldn't be too far off of Louisiana now, she couldn't die here. Zoey was not going to die on this shitty boat. No, not here. It couldn't be here.

 _"You're gonna make it. You're gonna make it."_

She kept repeating this to herself, trying to make herself have some hope. She wasn't going to die out at sea. Zoey had been through too much to die during a storm. She had nearly died too many times at the hands of the mutated infected to have a death this easy. They would pull through, as they usually do. Zoey had been through worse on land. She should be used to near death experiences at this stage, with the amount she's been through over the past while.

She didn't even see the giant wave smash into the side of the boat, sending her flying to the ground, hitting her head off of something hard. She whimpered as she smacked onto the cold floor.

Zoey lay motionless on the ground, too sore to move. She was so tired, she just wanted some peace for once. For once. Her mind never stopped spinning, always looking out for danger, always thinking about her every next move. For once, she would just like to relax and not think, to forget about the apocalypse and all the death.

 _"Holy shit, Zoey!"_

Everything seemed so far away. Everything seemed so dark.

Slowly, her eyes fell shut, and she fell into darkness again.

 _A/N: Wow, I'm really sorry for the long wait. I've been really busy with getting ready to go back to school and all that (This is my final year.) Writing will be more difficult considering how busy I'll be but I promise I'll never give up on this story, it'll just take longer than usual for me to upload. And I'm really sorry about the short chapter but I wanted to update to show you guys that I was still writing._

 _Hope you enjoyed!_


	13. Rude Awakening

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. School will be back soon and I have to deal with that ;_; Great... Getting an education is important I guess, but I think I can endure one more year of it. As I said before, I'll try to update as much as possible regardless. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 13: Rude Awakening**

 _"Wake up."_

He tried to open his eyes but they were so heavy. He just gave up and hoped whoever it was would just leave him alone.

 _"Wake up!"_

A cold liquid was chucked onto Ellis, kicking his nerves into motion and sending the mechanic jolting upwards, trying to get onto his feet. He felt various hands push him back down onto the cold floor.

Ellis took in his surroundings, a rather empty room with a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, far too bright for his liking. The young man's head throbbed and he groaned, rubbing his temples gently to soothe the pain. His eyes left the floor as he glowered up at the many looming figures standing above him. Ellis couldn't make out their faces but they seemed threatening all the same.

The mechanic back tracked along the ground until his back hit into what he presumed was the wall. The room wasn't too large, a cleared out storage closet was his guess as to what it was. One of the figures began to approach him, kneeling down to his height. Their face became clear to him, it was that man Nick always talked about.

Recalling the grey haired man's name was Bennett, Ellis realised that he had very little interaction with this man in the past. He had no idea what he was like or what kind of person he was. Nick certainly was distrustful of him anyway. Ellis gazed up at him hesitantly and waited patiently for him to talk.

"How are you feeling kid?" Bennett asked, Ellis was anxious about how to respond to this and why he would ask it in the first place.

"I'm uhhh- I'm fine I guess." Ellis' tone was blatantly unsure and it was evident.

"You sure beat the shit out of that soldier, didn't you?" Bennett chuckled very unnervingly, Ellis left oblivious and scared as to how to answer this. He swallowed back his worry and shrugged.

"Yeah, I think I did."

That instantly sounded wrong coming out of his mouth. Ellis cursed himself and gazed back down at the floor, not knowing what to expect. Bennett grinned strangely, making Ellis feel uneasy.

"Your friends have been relocated, you know." Bennett muttered, staring into Ellis' eyes, nearly boring through into the back of his skull. Fear instantly rose in the mechanic.

"What do you mean?" Ellis asked, feeling jittery and weak.

"Those two you tried to save, Thomas and Liz? They've been let go back into the war zone. Sorry to inform you. They said they would prefer to be anywhere else but here so I gave them permission to leave the compound." Bennett explained. Ellis nodded and looked down at the floor again, he never got the chance to say goodbye.

"Well, if that's what they wanted..." Ellis shrugged, not knowing how to feel about the announcement. He liked the two, but Ellis knew of their dislike of the compound. He also knew that they had never actually dealt with any infected themselves, making him feel slightly worried about their fate. It was a lot of information to take in at once.

"And you're not going to tell anyone about that, are you?"

Ellis shook his head.

"Now, about your actions..." Bennett began, dread appearing in the young man.

"Yeah?" He managed to feebly reply.

"I will not tolerate _any_ kind of violence from this point on, you got it?" His tone considerably sharper, his piercing eyes telling Ellis that he was more than serious. The mechanic nodded swiftly in return, scared out of his mind about what Bennett was going to do.

"Yes sir."

"Because things will be a _lot_ worse if I hear of you committing any kind of abuse to any of my guards, do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Ellis quickly added again.

"And you're not going to mention any of this conversation, are you?"

"No." Ellis felt intimidated and tiny.

Bennett huffed a breath of irritation out before standing up again and strolling away past the other figures. Ellis watched him as he turned to the others, nodding down at him.

"Get him back in with the others." Bennett ordered as marched out of the room.

 **...**

Zoey felt like she was floating in a void. Gravity no longer existed as she dangled in space. Everything was still except for her, rocking gently around in nothingness. Darkness surrounded her completely, she was floating around in an empty canvas.

But she did feel something. Zoey felt wind brushing against her. How did that make sense? She was in some sort of purgatory, away from everything and everyone.

 _"How can I think?"_

 _"How do I know what's going on?"_

 _"Open your eyes, Zoey."_

A part of her didn't want to. She knew what was on the other side. She was sick of that life, there was no sunshine anymore, only rain. No laughter, only tears. No real friends, just people that were going through the exact same hell as she was.

Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing she was back in the cabin of the boat.

Someone had propped her up onto a seat. A window was cracked open beside her and the sea air was running across her face, giving her goosebumps. She shivered and sat up, running her hands over her face.

Her fingers brushed over a noticeable lump and she hissed as pain exploded on her forehead. She didn't even see that Louis was steering the vessel. He gazed down at her and beamed cheerfully.

"Good to see you're awake. How you feeling?" He questioned, not taking his eyes off of the water.

"I've felt better." Zoey grumbled back in response. Louis nodded and turned the wheel slightly.

"You've got a nasty bruise on your forehead. You hit your head pretty bad." Louis stated. Zoey frowned and gazed at her foggy reflection in the window, spotting a rather painful looking patch of purple to the left side of her forehead. She groaned and slumped back down in her seat, feeling frustrated at everything.

"How long was I out for?" Zoey inquired, feeling like a burden.

"The whole night. Francis managed to get us through the storm while I checked on you." Louis answered. He then gestured over to a bottle of painkillers sitting on the counter behind him.

"You're gonna want to take a few of those. I imagine your head hurts a tincy bit." He grinned. Zoey nodded and got to her feet, but instantly felt dizzy. Convincing herself that she was just being weak, she tried to push herself over to the other side of the cabin but lost all sense of control in the process and crumbled onto the ground, letting out a pain filled groan.

"Ah shit, Zoey." Louis muttered as he picked the girl up onto her feet. Zoey felt feeble as he handed the bottle of pills to her and set her back down on the seat again, before quickly hopping back over to the steering wheel.

"Damn it Zoey, if you're feeling dizzy or anything, then just ask me to get them. I don't want you getting more injured." He lectured her, Zoey just blanked and stared down at her sneakers, feeling like the most delicate creature left on this planet.

"I-I'm sorry, I just-

"Just take the pills and you'll be okay." Louis said, cutting her off. Zoey couldn't help but feel useless as she swallowed three pills dry and placed them onto the counter beside her. She could feel herself becoming more distant as they started to take effect.

"Francis is down below sleeping, in case you're wondering." Louis commented. Zoey nodded and gazed back out the window, out at the deep ocean blue. The powerful rays were reflecting off the surface of the water, making it a blinding sight.

"We're nearly there. Louisiana should be a day away at this point, maybe less." Louis stated, catching her attention.

"Shit, you're joking, right?" She instantly sprung to life at the idea of getting off this shitty boat.

"Of course not. We get there and then we can start our search, sounds good?" Louis said as he turned to her, offering her a smile. His voice was promising, Louis could tell that she wanted to get off of this boat twice as much as he did.

"Sounds great." She replied, returning the smile.

"Alright, now go get something to eat, you must be starving." Louis stated. Zoey nodded and strolled over to her bag to dig something out.

She would be off of this stupid boat soon. The thought of finding Ellis kept her motivated.

She opened up his note for her again, gazing over his kind words for her, which she had nearly memorised at this stage, written all that time ago at the flat in Rayford.

It seemed so far away now.

She still missed Ellis deeply, the idea of rescuing him kept her going.

It would all be worth it when she found him.

If she found him.

 **Back at the Compound**

"I still can't believe you did that, Overalls."

"It was sort of a spur of the moment kinda thing, Nick."

The conman just scoffed at Ellis' excuse, seeing right through it. Nick gave his usual smirk and began laying into him about his violent actions earlier. Coach listened on in as Rochelle scowled at Nick, unhappy at his insults.

"Spur of the moment my ass! You were so planning to do that-

"Shut up Nick. The good thing is that he's safe." Rochelle butted in, cutting Nicks' snide remark in its' tracks. Coach nodded in agreement as he chuckled heartily.

Rochelle of course, had giving Ellis a mean punch to the arm, a tight hug and then a stern talking to when he had returned to them from his 'revaluation'. She was beginning to act like his mother. Nick, of course, just berated him but Ellis didn't seem to mind while Coach was just glad to see the boy was unharmed by the soldiers.

"I'll tell you somethin' young'un, you're one hell of a warrior with those fists." Coach laughed. Ellis shrugged unknowingly, too tired

"Was never really one for a brawl to be honest." Ellis admitted, his signature grin creeping onto his face. Coach let out a cackle as he leaned back in his seat, shaking his head at the kid.

"Really? You sorta reminded me of a dirtier version of Mike Tyson." Nick sneered sarcastically.

The four laughed loudly at the table in the cafeteria, enjoying each other's company as the sun began to set behind the treeline.

Little did any of them know that they were all being watched their grey haired 'leader'.

"Keep an eye on those four." He remarked. "I have a feeling they're up to something."

 _A/N: I want to upload a good bit before summer ends, so expect another update very soon._

 _Until next time._


	14. Into the Fire

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. I'm really sorry about the long wait, like, ridiculously sorry. A lot of stuff has just been keeping me busy. School came back like a tonne of bricks and I wanted to get off to a good start so homework and study has been really keeping me nailed down. But still, that's not fair by me for keeping you guys waiting for nearly a month so I apologize. I think I even said in the last chapter that I would update very soon after uploading that one... I will try to update sooner in the future. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 14: Into The Fire**

"Is that it? Are we here?"

Francis nodded while looking down at the map, not taking his eyes off of it. Zoey set her gaze back onto the stretch of land that sat on small distance away on the horizon.

"Well, according to our estimations of how long the journey would take, that is probably Louisiana." Louis commented from behind the steering wheel, leisurely letting the boat sail itself.

"If it isn't Louisiana, then it's probably Alabama. We can just travel over the border." Francis added, folding the map up and placing it into his pocket. Zoey nodded and gazed out out the water, the land gradually getting closer and closer to them.

"So uh, we said we would make a plan when we got to Mississippi. Well, we're here now, more or less, what's the plan then?" Louis questioned, glancing between his two friends. Francis shrugged and looked away, the idea never crossed his mind.

"If we are in Mississippi, then we should look for some soldiers, bound to be a few around. Preferably a smaller group too. Easier to take on." Zoey answered, eyes still fixed on the shore.

"And then what? Hand ourselves in?" Francis smirked. Zoeys' steely expression didn't leave her face at his sly joke.

"We blindside them and get the information we need to know." Zoey returned, arms crossed and a few stray strands of hair blowing across her face. "They're bound to know where any carriers got shipped out to from New Orleans." She added.

"We get an idea of where they are and then what?" Louis asked again, an eyebrow hitched.

"Then we head that way and save them." She responded.

"Save them?" Francis quickly perked up. "Who says they need to be saved?" Zoey glared over at the biker, who felt a little intimidated by her piercing eyes. They seemed cold and unrecognizable. It felt off to him.

"Let's be real here. The military kill all carriers. They aren't having a sunny holiday in the Bahamas. The military want them dead and gone. So they don't have to waste anymore resources on infected people." Zoey replied. Louis was about to reply when she cut in again.

"Let's just hope that they're still alive for them to be saved."

Francis and Louis looked between each other and shrugged, before turning their attention back to the oncoming strip of land.

 **Back at the Compound**

Nick observed silently as two guards conversed with each other. He saw the pistols in the holsters by their right hip, easily could be slipped out with deft hands. The sheathed blades which could be drawn against them. Nick could pick out several ways he could turn their own weapons against them, but saw no reason in doing it. It was always nice to have a plan though. The cafeteria was empty except for the two soldiers. Everyone else was in the Rec room, but Nick wanted some time alone, to think.

The conman noticed to pair begin to leave, walking up the steps to the reinforced doors. They buzzed themselves out, and left the cafeteria.

 _"They didn't shut the door."_

Nick saw his chance. A glimpse of freedom. Why did he want freedom? Things weren't too bad here. Sure, it was boring and the days were repetitive but he was safe and away from the infection.

Why did he want to leave?

His body took charge and strolled up the steps, checking over his shoulder for anyone. He got to the door, finding it slightly ajar and peeked through it.

A hallway beaming with fluorescent lighting, white walls and linoleum corridors.

Nick took another look over his shoulder, but this time froze to the spot.

"What are you up to?"

Nick hadn't heard anyone come into the cafeteria yet, there was the man in a plaid blue shirt and a black eye, gawking up at him. It was Peter, Beths' friend whom Nick had never spoken to before.

"Why do you care?" The conman shot back, trying to play it cool. Peter smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, there's not really much to do around here so when I saw ya snooping around with the door, I thought I would go investigate." The young man replied. "What are you doing?" He asked again.

Nick sighed, knowing well this kid wouldn't give up on it. There wasn't really a point in trying to cover it up.

"I was going to go for a quick look down the hallways, that's pretty much it." Nick shrugged, an honest but unconvincing sounding excuse.

"I don't think you're allowed down there." Peter commented.

"I didn't plan on being caught."

The young man grinned and looked around him, the cafeteria was still empty but it wouldn't be for long. This guy was stalling Nicks' plans as he grew more and more impatient.

"Can I come with you?" He questioned.

"No."

"Oh come on, there's nothing else to do and I won't get in your way. I promise."

Nick glared at the kid, he was annoying, that much was for sure, but he also seemed like the guy who won't stop bickering until he gets what he wants. With a sigh, Nick nodded his head.

"Fine. But you do _exactly_ as I say, _when_ I say it. Understand?"

"Loud and clear." Peter nodded.

"Great. Now let's go, stay behind me." Nick instructed, pushing through the door.

 **Back in the Wild**

It had taken a bit of searching but the three had found a small patrol of soldiers along a roadside. After confirming that they had successfully landed in Louisiana with the help of a few signs. Four well armed soldiers clumped together, inspecting a flat tyre on their humvee. Zoey viewed them through the scope of her rifle through the forestry. The road was wedged between two small hills, giving them the aerial advantage, as well as the element of surprise. The wind had picked up quite a lot, rustling the leaves and branches, rendering their movements as silent.

"I think it's just the four of them." Zoey whispered back to her two friends, who were crouched either side of her.

"How are we gonna do this?" Francis asked, pump shotgun in hand.

"I have an idea." Louis piped in. Francis nodded at him.

"Well, I can go further down the road and fire off a few shots, might lure one or two away. If Francis could get to the other side of the road and wait there for me, he could take any remaining guys out and I deal with any that come my way. Zoey can stay here and keep overwatch, if any of us get into trouble, she uses that rifle to help us out. We try keep one alive."

Francis and Zoey looked at each other and nodded, glancing back at Louis.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll go down a bit and sneak across to the other side down there, Louis, you go the other way. Let's do this." Francis ordered, but Louis stopped him.

"Wait, do we kill them?" He inquired. Killing the infected was not easy. Physically or mentally. They are still practically human. Diseased humans. They all tried to think that it wasn't true but they couldn't ignore it. But killing actual people just felt wrong, even in the situation they were in.

There was a brief moment of thought.

"They think that we're worthless animals. The military only care about the immune. They don't want us. They tried to kill us. They don't deserve any mercy." Zoey muttered. Louis tried to say something but Francis nudged him and shook his head. The two men left to get into position.

 **Back at the Compound**

Nick and Peter had snuck around the hallways without much trouble. They had managed to remain fairly quiet, and the compound was not short on closets and storage rooms to hide in.

The pair turned a corner and Nick began to remember where he was.

"That is Bennett's office." He whispered, gesturing to the door at the end of the hallway. Peter nodded and took in his surroundings. The kid was annoying but he wasn't stupid. He knew that Nick was good at sneaking around and followed his every word.

The conman spotted a door with a keypad on it. He remembered it from when he talked to Bennett. Why did they need a room with a code?

He suddenly remembered he had seen someone enter the code in. Nick frisked his mind for the code, desperately trying to remember.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked as Nick walked over to the door.

"Hold on, I think I remember." He said as he tried pressing a few buttons.

 _4-6-2-6_

Nothing.

"We should probably get out of here." Peter stated, but Nick ignored him.

 _4-6-1-6_

Nothing.

"Come on man, let's go. The others are probably wondering where we-

"Shut up! I almost have it!"

 _4-6-1-7_

 _Buzz_

Peter looked over at Nick, evidently anxious. Nick looked back and took a breath.

He opened the door.

 _A/N: Once again, I would like to say I'm so sorry for the update time. I suck, I know. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Please review and all that stuff!_

 _Peace_


	15. Revelations

_Hey guys its Yobloc20 here. Wow, it's been a long time, hasn't it? I am officially the biggest asshole ever for being so shitty at uploading but I've been swamped in study and study and... yeah just study really. I've been working late into the night and writing just didn't cross my mind because I was so busy. Getting time to write these was hard , but I decided to stop being such a dick and actually update this story which I so horribly left on a cliffhanger. Sorry about that. Oh yeah, by the way, if I don't get to mention it beforehand, I hope you all have a great new year! Fashionably late. Really sorry again. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 15:** **Revelations**

Zoey could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She had her sights on a masked soldier, who was pacing in front of their military camo humvee while another examined the failing engine. Another sat in the door of the backseat and the fourth was patrolling further down the road, where Louis should be hiding. She drew a deep breath and focused, listening closely for the decoy shots from the IT technician. This was a feeling she never had before. Anxiety, fear, anticipation and anger all rolled up into one nasty emotion she was experiencing.

 _"What's taking him so long?"_

Her mind began to race, she had been crouched on top of the slope overlooking the road, the treeline giving her ample cover from her targets below. The more she tried to convince herself that everything was okay, she couldn't help but think. Think about everything.

 _"I'm about to kill a man in cold blood."_

It sounded horrific, but they would do the same. Of course they would.

 _ **Bang!**_

It had caught her mid thought, but the bait the mission was a go. Zoey jumped to action; picking out the soldier in front of the car. He made a bolt for his rifle which was leaning against the wheel of the vehicle and carefully maneuvered down the cracked road. His friend in the backseat jumped out and scanned his surroundings. She aimed high, around chest height.

 _"Do it."_

She squeezed the trigger lightly.

 _"Do it!"_

The familiar crack from her gun was sickening to her, knowing where the bullet was heading. She released a shaky breath she didn't realise she was holding and felt dizzy.

 ** _Bang!_**

Francis had came in with his part of the plan, no doubt finishing off the man who was working on the engine.

 _ **Bang!**_

The next came from down the road, Louis had taken out one of the soldiers coming down his way. Zoey got to her feet and clambered down the slope and onto the road. She saw the tall figure standing next to the humvee, knowing it was Francis. She didn't want to look at the corpses. She trudged down the road, seeing two bodies; one moving, the other not. The plan had gone without a hitch.

The reality of it all came crashing down on her. She had killed a man. So had Louis, so had Francis. They were murderers now, stone cold killers. Who was she? Zoey reassured herself that these were bad men, people that would have killed her. These people deserved to die. They didn't care for anyone so why should they.

Francis kicked the gun away from the injured man, glaring down at the soldier as he hissed and cursed in agony.

"We need some information." Louis began, his tone was questionably dull.

"Fuck. You." The man spat back, making it harder on himself. Zoey glanced over at Francis and nodded, the biker knowing the signal.

Francis applied pressure on the mans gunshot with his boot, pressing down hard on his thigh, the man yelping like a dog.

"You gonna help us now, tough guy?" Francis demanded. The man glanced back up at him, heavy breaths and hatred in his eyes.

"Fuck. You." He repeated.

Zoey stomped down hard on his wound, causing the soldier to release a guttural yell. Francis and Louis looked on in shock as Zoey took her own relentless initiative, and no-bullshit tolerance. She stood on the gunshot, putting all her weight on it. The man was howling, desperately clawing at Zoeys' leg to get it off.

"We can do this all night, asshole. It's up to you." Zoey shrugged, showing her merciless side. The man reassessed his options, and accepting he had no other options, he nodded, inhaling deeply.

"See? That wasn't so hard." She remarked.

"What the fuck do you want?!" The man growled in response.

"The evac point in New Orleans, where did-

"It's been overrun. It got overrun a while back." He cut in. Zoey felt herself freeze in horror.

 _"No. No no no no no."_

"Where did the last evac choppers head to?" Francis asked again. He seemed a little taken back by the reply too. He held hope though, they were a tough group.

"I don't know- All over the place! Some were shipped off to-

"Carriers! Where were the carriers taken to?!" Zoey nearly yelled. Louis needed to talk to her alone after this, she was becoming more and more unhinged. It was becoming visible now.

"I-I think I know where. I'm not 100% sure though. I've only been there once, and that was a while back."

"Where is it?" Louis requested calmly, keeping his usual cool head.

"It's the old recruitment training camp. It's a bit of a trek from here. Why would you even want to go there?" The soldier replied, not understanding their motive of going there.

"It's none of your concern." Zoey answered hastily. "Louis, give me your tie."

Louis gave it to her with an odd look, watching as she unraveled it and tied it around the mans hands.

"You're gonna show us where it is." She ordered, grabbing the man by the back of the collar and lifting him up roughly, pushing him towards the humvee. "Francis, can you get the car running again?"

"I'm better with bikes but I should be able to." He answered, strolling over to inspect the vehicle. Louis kept a worried eye on Zoey as she began rounding up all the weapons from the soldiers corpses. She was losing her humanity, she was becoming feral.

She wasn't Zoey anymore.

 **Back at the Compound**

The door slowly creaked open, revealing a dimly lit hall, much smaller to the one they had just been in. There was only one door in it, and it was at the end of the hallway. Blood streaks painted the wall like a red canvas, this looked like some sort of nightmare. The blood trails all led to the door at the end of the hallway. Nick could hear Peters' hitched breath from behind him.

"W-what the fuck is this place?" He whispered, fear evident in his tone as he took in the bloodbath around him.

"I don't know. It leads to that door." Nick pointed out, following the trail.

"I don't like this Nick, maybe we should go back." Peter suggested, but Nick didn't even respond, he just crept up to the far doorway.

What was this place? Why was it sealed off? Why was there so much blood? These questions raced through his mind with every step he got closer to the door. Something was very wrong here. This place wasn't what it seemed.

Nick gripped the door handle tightly. He wasn't ready for this. He has no weapons. What if there is a tank on the other side of the door?

"Nick, come on. They're probably wondering where we are-

"Shut up!" Nick hissed back, he brought the wrong person along to do this.

He turned the door handle slowly, hearing the click. He swallowed, and slowly edged the door open.

Blood. Blood all over the place. Nearly the whole room was covered in the substance. The room was very darkly lit, it was barely visible. And the smell, it hit Nick like a poisonous gas. He gasped and coughed, it was a rotten smell but a familiar one. He looked up and saw Peter with wide, terrified eyes.

Body bags.

"Why do they need body bags for the infected?" Peter asked, Nick slowly crept over to the pile of black plastic bags, piles of them. With human figures underneath each one. This was fucked up.

"Unzip one." Peter whispered.

"You sure?" Nick glanced up at Peter, who nodded at him.

Nick drew a breath. This was bad.

With one firm tug, he unzipped one. A man with short ginger hair and strong features was underneath, bullet hole right between the eyes.

 _It was Thomas._

"What the fuck! That's- that's-

"Yeah, I know." Nick cut in.

"But they said him and Liz left on their own terms! Why the fuck are they here?!" Peter panicked.

Nick hastily unzipped the next one, quicker this time.

 _Liz. With several bullets in her chest._

"This is fucking crazy! We gotta tell everyone!" Peter exclaimed, terrified and confused.

Nick unzipped the next one.

 _Randall. It was that crazy old man who freaked out a while back._

Nick remembered what he had yelled out before being dragged away.

 _"Help! They're going to kill me!"_ He recalled him yelling out in an outbreak of presumed insanity. They were killing everyone off. One by one. They were all lambs to the slaughter.

They were all going to be killed here.

"Peter, we gotta go back and tell everyone what's going on and then we need to get the fuck outta here. This place is a fucking human slaughterhouse." Nick explained quickly. "We gotta go. NOW."

The pair heard a noise coming from behind them.

"RUN!"

The pair charged out of the room, sprinting through the bloody hallway and out into the corridors, pure adrenaline keeping them going. He thought he heard noises following them but he didn't stop to confirm whether it was true. It felt as if he was being chased. Neither man stopped running until they both reached the door to the cafeteria, it was still slightly ajar, as they had left it. Nicks' lungs burned and screamed for air.

Bursting through the metal door, he was met with his group, sitting in the canteen, laughing along with Beth and her friends. They all looked up to see the two, who appeared a little startled, to say the least.

"Nick! Where were you? We were just-

"Ro, we're leaving! We're leaving this place right now! All of us!" Nick yelled, surprising everyone.

"Boy! What's gotten into you?! You look like you've seen a ghost!" Coach chuckled.

"They're killing us off, Coach! Bennett is killing us off one by one! If you don't believe me, then ask the kid!" Nick bellowed, gesturing at Peter.

The group was silent, they all looked at Peter, who looked like a deer in headlights. Ellis and Rochelle looked frightened as they started to believe what Nick was saying. Coach had a slightly concerned expression on his face too. Beth was unreadable, however.

"Liz and Thomas are both in body bags, riddled with bullet holes." Peter barely managed to croak. Nick felt terrified eyes land on him. The silence was deafening.

"But, Bennett said they were-

"He lied Ellis! He lied to all of us! He's been picking us all off. He's going to kill us all, so we're leaving! Right now!" Nick ordered, but before he could even move, he heard a voice behind him which froze him to the spot.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Nick." He heard a familiar voice calmly say.

The conman looked over his shoulder, to see Bennett with armed guards on either side of him.

"You're all staying right here."

 _A/N: Aaaaaaaaaand cliffhanger dealt with._

 _I'm soooo sorry for leaving you guys so long with this update but thanks for not ripping me up for being a shitty person. Please R &R!_

 _Until next time_


	16. Wrath

_Hey guys its Yobloc20 here. Gonna try to update a bit more regularly but don't hold me to that, I'll try my best. Starting to get some interest in writing again so maybe I'll be better than I have been in the distant past. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters except my OC's._

 **Chapter 16: Wrath**

"Get your hands off me!"

Ellis desperately tried to squirm his way free of the soldiers grasp, but was forcefully shoved down onto his knees. Beside him was Coach, who looked as frightened as the mechanic felt. They were all lined up in the cafeteria, all on their knees as Bennett stood in front of them all, soldiers with their weapons aimed at the inmates. He heard some more struggling down the line as the guards subdued Nick, with some effort.

After the soldiers had made sure everyone was in a line, they stepped back, their guns still trained on the group. Bennett came forward before them, hands formally behind his back and a steely look on his face. Ellis felt a twinge of dread rise in him at the sight of their supposed leader, his grotesque secrets had been revealed, who knows what he would do now that everyone else knew?

 _"What if he just kills us all?"_

Ellis tried to shake the idea from his head, but at this very moment it was a serious possibility. Ellis couldn't die, and neither could his friends. He couldn't die before seeing Zoey again. He just couldn't without the knowledge that she was truly safe.

"I didn't want things to go this way." Bennett admitted with little emotion. Everyone fell silent, wondering what the man could possibly try to say to explain this.

Fear. It was all the mechanic could feel right now. Ellis tried to compose himself, he tried to keep tranquil.

"It could have worked out for you all. You could have lived in ignorant bliss."

"And not know that you're a murderous psychopath?! You are a fucking monster!" Nick bellowed at the older man, the conman was infuriated and didn't seem to be intimidated by the guns aimed his way. Bennett didn't seem taken aback whatsoever by his comments, as if he was used to getting these accusations. The disguise had been lifted, Bennett was killing them off slowly, one by one, and this place was a death camp.

"I'm no psychopath, Nick." Bennett replied calmly, too calmly. He wasn't deterred in the slightest, which was disturbing to Ellis, wondering how he could just take it on the chin.

"The fuck you aren't! What is this about then, why are these people dead?!" Nick demanded angrily.

Bennett paused and drew a breath, glancing back at one of his guards momentarily, before staring back at the suited man.

"I was just following orders."

There was a few horrified gasps escaped the group as they tried to comprehend what he meant. Why were his orders to kill them? Nick donned a disgusted expression on his gruff face, shaking his head in shock. Bennett once again turned around to one of his men, as if he was gesturing something.

"What do you mean by _orders_?" Paul exclaimed bravely from further down the line. Ellis flinched, scared not knowing what Bennett was going to do with them.

Bennett snapped around and glared at Ellis' childhood friend, who instantly dropped his head at the mans' intense stare. Ellis felt as if Bennetts' eyes could burn into people, like rays of powerful heat.

"I was given orders to go by when we learned about carriers. I am simply doing what I've been told to do." Bennett remarked calmly.

Ellis didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to _feel._ They were carriers. The military wanted them dead, one way or another. Zoey and her group was right the whole time. The mechanic cursed himself for never listening to her warnings. He tried to glance around, noticing horrified expressions from everyone else, Rochelle looked completely dazed by the information.

"Now get them all to their rooms." Bennett ordered, signalling at his soldiers. They moved in on the group and roughly pulled each person to their feet. Ellis gave no struggle this time, letting himself be lifted up and shoved towards the door, weapons aimed at the now prisoners as they trudged along to their sleeping quarters.

Nick looked down at the floor as he walked, the cogs in his mind spinning, desperately attempting to piece together a frantic plan. They were getting out of here, all of them. Neither him or his friends were going to die in this hell disguised as salvation of some kind.

"Get them to bed, I'll decide what to do with them tomorrow." The conman heard Bennett call from the cafeteria. Nick knew he had to act now. But what could he do? One quick move would have him riddled in bullets. He would just have to wait. At least he had the night to think of something. _Anything._

 **...**

Everyone was put to their dorms, with the doorlock clicking behind them. They were trapped. Nick hastily began to look on the ceiling for any means of escape. He heard Rochelle sobbing behind him, but he couldn't comfort her right now as he himself doubted their fate come tomorrow morning. Nick wasn't going to sugarcoat their scenario, and he certainly wasn't going to lie to Rochelle. She was mature enough to see through any bullshit he told her. That's why Nick liked her.

"Nick just... just stop." Rochelle muttered, sniffling slightly and wiping the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

"I can't Ro, I can't. We're stuck here waiting for God knows what when we wake up. I have to try, I have to-

"Just stop, okay!" Rochelle cried, glaring up at the conman.

Nick stared back at her, not believing what he was hearing. Rochelle was lying down and admitting defeat. This was the woman he had fought for his life with for nearly a whole month or so, whenever their situation seemed hopeless, it was Rochelle who kept them going. She always egged them on, a shining light in the bleakness of the infection. And now she was just going to accept her fate.

"So you're just going to give up!" Nick glared, finding it hard to believe she was just letting them win.

"What else is there to do Nick?! We're trapped, there's no getting out of here!" She retaliated, fist clenched in anger. Nick just looked on in shock as his friend had lost all hope.

"Just please get some sleep."

Nick shook his head in disgust, not knowing what to think anymore. He sat down on his cot, head in his calloused hands. The conman was fresh out of ideas. Rochelle was right, there was no escape from this hell. The lights flicked off and the room was swallowed in darkness.

"So what do we do then?" He softly asked her as she climbed into her bed. He heard a sigh from her as she climbed under the thin blankets.

"Pray. That's all you can do. Pray that Bennett spares us."

Nick felt his blood run cold at the idea. But what else could he do? Kicking off his once-clean smart shoes, he climbed into his cot and rested his head on the pillow, knowing well he wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

Having exhausted all other options, Nick drew a deep breath. For the first time in what seemed like decades, Nick prayed. To anyone that was listening, any God that had the mercy to listen to his pleads.

He prayed that he and his friends would live to see their beds the next night. That they would break free of this horrible place and get away from hellhole. He knew that it was pointless, but what else could do?

 **...**

Morning came too quick. Far quicker than Nick had expected. A guard gripped his shoulder and shook him roughly, the conman grunting in response.

"Get up!" The soldier ordered, Rochelle was strapping on her boots already. Nick threw the covers off of him reluctantly and sat up dazed. This was it. This was the morning that decided his life. Nick was walking out into the unknown now. He had no plan. No idea of what to do or how to do it. He was just going to walk out there and face whatever life threw at him.

Nick felt genuinely terrified.

Ellis trudged out his dorm, Coach following behind him. A night with a lack of sleep resulted in silence from the mechanic, who didn't want to say anything to anyone. He didn't even know what to think anymore. The older man placed a soft hand on Ellis' hunched shoulders, a weak symbol of comfort for the young man.

"Don't be scared young 'un." Coach murmured to him. Ellis nodded and desperately tried to take his advice. Don't be scared. Don't be scared. Don't be scared. But he was scared beyond belief.

Creeping into the cafeteria, Ellis quickly felt light-headed when he saw Bennett standing by the door. His stomach battled with the fear that pitted itself there, and he felt like sinking into the floor right there. The morning sun shone through the tall windows, setting a relaxing vibe to such a distressing time. Ellis glanced back and spotted Rochelle and Nick trailing behind. The woman gave him a feeble smile, she was always trying to make sure Ellis wasn't fretting, but she knew as well as him that it was hopeless.

The guards ordered them to sit at the cleared tables. Beth and her friends sat on the other side of the group, a small had been created in the middle of the room, like the stage to a theatre. When all the group were seated, Bennett stepped forward to the middle of the room. Ellis could hear Coach grumble something under his breath beside him. Bennett almost had a sick smirk on his lips.

"I have come to a decision." Bennett began, catching everyone's uninterrupted attention instantly. Ellis froze at the words, awaiting in terrified anticipation for the verdict. The grey haired man seemed to prolong his continuation to add effect, aware that everyone in the room was hanging off his every word.

"I'm not going to dispatch you all. Not now. But I will if there is any more trouble caused by anyone here." Ellis felt a severe relief wash over himself, and he would have smiled jubilantly if the time wasn't so unappropriate.

"But... there is a price for your actions. A consequence to the trouble you caused me." Bennett added, pricking everyone from their internal celebrations. The compound leader turned back to one of his guards. Ellis felt Coach tap his leg, spinning around to his friend.

"Keep your head down young 'un. Don't look at him, don't draw attention towards yourself." Coach advised wistfully to the young man. Ellis nodded as he saw behind someone walk behind the older man over his shoulder.

"And another thing." Coach continued. "Don't go-

 **BAM**

Ellis was splattered in blood as Coach fell limp to the floor, a pool of blood stretching out along the linoleum floor. His ears rung horribly, but he could hear Rochelles' screams and Nicks' yelling and his own ragged breathing. Peter tried to run at Bennett but was stopped by a soldier with the butt of a gun. Bennett walked back to the middle of the room.

"To every action, there is a consequence! Remember that and remember what happened here today! Now get him out of here." Bennett ordered as he exited the mayhem he had created.

Ellis stared shakily down at his own hands, speckles of his friends blood covered them. With a shaky gasp, Ellis whole world collapsed.

 _A/N: So spells the end of Coach. Bennett is a dick. Thanks for reading everyone! Be sure to drop a review! I appreciate it soooo much!_

 _Until next time,_

 _P.S RIP Coach. You'll be eating cheeseburgers in the sky brother._


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